Secrets
by Fiery Keys
Summary: A broken promise. A lost memory. A heart torn in two. When Juvia Lockser, S-class assassin of Phantom Lord is given her toughest mission ever, her world changes completely. Upon meeting the cheerful Prince Natsu Dragneel and his enticing bodyguard Gray Fullbuster, she learns that everyone has secrets. Some of them lying within her own past as well. Gruvia. AU.
1. Prologue

**Secrets**

 **Prologue**

 _It was almost over. The war had raged on for two days and two nights, but now, it was finally coming to an end. The battlefield was dotted with the bodies of dead Fiorian wizards who had fought bravely against the invading force. Their blood stained the ground crimson. It was like a scene out of a horror movie, only this was real._

 _Amongst fire and smoke, making their way through the corpses were two girls, running for their lives. They weren't older than ten; their parents were nowhere in sight. Behind them, the great Heartfilia castle, that had stood for generations, crumbled and collapsed. In the midnight sky, the moon was blood red; dark and forbidding._

 _In the ruins of the Heartfilia castle, a man dressed in black smiled serenely at Queen Layla Heartfilia as she stood, covered in grime and blood, glaring at him fiercely. Her hands clutched a key ring of golden and silver keys to her chest._

" _It's over, Layla," Zeref Dragneel said calmly. "Surrender and hand over your daughter to me. There is nowhere for you to run. King Jude has already fallen. You are next."_

" _I will never give my daughter to you!" Layla spat. "So you can just forget it, Zeref."_

 _Zeref's eyes narrowed. "None of this would've happened if you had simply kept your promise to me, Layla. I thought Celestial Wizards always keep their promises?"_

" _My daughter's life was at stake!"_

" _I do not care about your daughter. All that matters is the promise you made to me." Zeref raised his hand. An orb of black energy swirled within his palm. "Enough of chit chat. This ends now, Layla."_

" _Not quite," Layla said coolly. As Zeref flung his attack at her, she dodged it by a hair's breadth. A golden sheen of magic swirled around her body and she disappeared on the spot._

 _Zeref lowered his hand slowly, gazing at the spot where Layla had previously stood. "She escaped? No matter. She will not get far." A dark smirk crossed his face. "Layla Heartfilia and her daughter shall fall today. I will make sure of it."_

 _XOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

 _The princess of Fiore, Lucy Heartfilia was running across the battlefield, hand in hand with her best friend, Juvia Lockser. As she looked over her shoulder at the falling castle, a tear slipped down her cheek at the sight of the only home she'd ever had being reduced to dust and rubble._

 _Juvia glanced at her worriedly. "Princess, we have to hurry."_

 _Lucy's lip trembled slightly. "I want Mama…."_

" _The Queen will catch up to us shortly, Princess. In the meantime, we have to run!"_

" _But-"_

" _Lucy!"_

 _Both girls swung around as Queen Layla materialized a few feet from them._

" _Mama!"_

" _Queen Layla!"_

 _Layla hurried to them. "Good, you two are alright. We have to hurry out of here."_

" _What about Papa?" Lucy asked anxiously. "We have to find him!"_

 _A shadow crossed Layla's face. "Lucy, your father is-"_

 _She was interrupted by a huge explosion no far away from them. Lucy and Juvia covered in fear as Layla stepped forward warily._

 _The blood drained from her face._

 _They were surrounded by demons of Tartaros._

" _There's the Princess!" One of them shouted. "Aim for her!"_

 _Several bolts of black magic spiraled through the air and headed straight for a defenseless Lucy._

 _Layla threw herself in front of Lucy. Her four golden zodiac gate keys zoomed into the air in front of her in a wide arc and formed a shield which immediately made the spells bounce back. All the demons except one fell. The last remaining fired a powerful explosive spell at Layla. The minute the spell struck the shield, there was a huge explosion. The demon flew back and was knocked out instantly. Layla took the brunt of the damage and collapsed, her keys clattering to the ground._

" _Mama!" Lucy screamed and ran to her mother's fallen form, Juvia not far behind. Falling to her knees in the pool of blood around Layla, Lucy clutched the queen's hand. "Mama, say something."_

 _Layla coughed up blood and struggled to sit up. "Lu-cy-" She rasped. "Run-away-"_

 _Lucy shook her head adamantly and sobbed. "I won't! How can you even ask me that, Mama?!"_

" _Lucy-"_

" _I_ _ **won't**_ _!"_

" _Listen to me, Lucy," Layla whispered. She gathered her keys with a shaking hand and held them out. "Take these."_

" _These are your-"_

" _Treat them well," Layla insisted. "Never abuse them. Oh, Lucy," Tears ran down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry-this is all my fault-"_

" _Mama-"_

 _Layla looked at Juvia. "Protect her," She pleaded._

 _Juvia's face was as pale as death, but she nodded shakily. "I-I will."_

 _Layla drew Lucy close and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Lucy. Now, run!"_

 _Juvia caught Lucy's hand and began to pull away. The princess began to struggle. "No!_ _ **No!**_ _Let go of me, Juvia! Mama!"_

 _Layla drew in a shuddering breath. "Do what you were always destined to do, Lucy-"_

 _Her voice died away to a mere whisper._

" _Defeat….END…."_

 _Her eyes closed forever._

 _XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

' _Almost there,' Juvia thought, panting. 'I have to get the Princess away from this place-"_

 _Lucy was still struggling against Juvia's hold, but her resistance was futile. Juvia was older and stronger and was definitely determined not to let go of her hand, no matter what._

 _Juvia's foot caught on a stone and she crashed to the ground, pulling Lucy down with her. "Ugh," She hissed, clutching her forehead and then realized with a gasp that she had let go of Lucy. Springing to her feet, Juvia looked around desperately. "Princess! Princess, where are you?!"_

 _A dark shadow loomed over her._

 _Juvia felt a lump form in her throat as she slowly turned._

 _A hand touched her forehead and she forgot._


	2. The Betrothal

**Chapter-1**

 **The Betrothal**

Juvia Lockser, S-class assassin of the illegal guild Phantom Lord, was stumped.

To be sure, it didn't take _much_ to faze her. But this…..this was ridiculous. Not just ridiculous, it was impossible. The person who had come up with this plan had to be crazy.

Then again, Juvia had always secretly felt that Jose Porla was at least 90% insane.

"Is there something wrong, my dear?" The object of her thoughts asked sweetly.

She took a deep breath.

"So let Juvia get this straight," Juvia said, not bothering to hide the disbelief that laced her tone. "You want Juvia to infiltrate the royal palace, get betrothed to Prince Natsu Dragneel and assassinate him once she gets close to him?"

"Yes," Jose said smugly.

Juvia took a deep breath. She had been given all sorts of dangerous missions since she had turned S-class. Hell, she ate danger for breakfast. But this was definitely the craziest mission till date.

Jose was talking once more. "I have settled everything with Emperor Zeref. He agreed quite easily, in fact. The Emperor seemed rather pleased, in fact, about the betrothal. Even though he is known to be a genius, he still did not suspect anything."

This sounded suspicious to Juvia. She had never seen the Emperor in person, but she had known he was talented both magically and intellectually. Then again, Jose _was_ a lord and although he was the master of an illegal guild; no one other than the members of Phantom Lord knew about it.

"Why?" Juvia asked finally.

"What do you mean, my girl?"

"Why do you want to assassinate Prince Natsu?"

Jose shook his head. "Don't you see, Juvia? Prince Natsu is the only heir to the throne. He is the Emperor's younger brother; and more than that, his only family. With him out of the way, the only obstacle between us and the throne will be the Emperor himself."

Juvia was still skeptical. "There are rumors that Zeref is immortal."

Jose scoffed. "Immortality? Nonsense. No wizard can achieve that, no matter how powerful he is."

Juvia remained silent, and Jose continued. "Still, Zeref is an incredibly powerful wizard. We don't even know the extent of his abilities yet. That's why we'll deal with him later, we need to start small first."

"Prince Natsu is a Dragon Slayer and is exceptionally strong."

"Yes, but you are strong as well, my girl. I trained you myself, after all. And the whole point of you getting engaged to the Prince is for you to get close to him. He isn't known to be a very suspicious person, so it should be quite easy for you. Once the Prince lets his guard down, kill him."

"Easier said than done," Juvia murmured.

"Yes, well," Jose glared at her. "I expect you to be successful, got it? _Or else_."

Juvia flinched slightly but nodded.

"Very well. Do whatever it takes to fulfill your mission."

"Juvia will."

"Excellent," Jose gave her an oily smile. "Dismissed. Report back to me tomorrow, same time. We have more to discuss."

Juvia bowed in acknowledgement and left the room.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

13 years ago, the kingdom of Fiore had been plunged into a brutal and bloody war. Citizens, wizards, men, women and children alike; countless people had lost their lives. The previous beloved monarchs of Fiore, Layla and Jude Heartfilia had fallen in battle. Their daughter Lucy, had gone missing. Since then, Zeref Dragneel had taken the throne and ruled as Emperor over Fiore; with his brother Natsu as the prince.

Once Zeref had taken control of Fiore, he banned all guilds. This was met by outrage by the public; but Zeref was simply too powerful a ruler to rebel against. It had taken a few years for the country to settle down. Layla and Jude were almost forgotten in the general chaos. Only their daughter, Lucy was remembered.

This was because Zeref was searching for her. For unknown reasons, he wished to eradicate the entire Heartfilia family. Lucy Heartfilia became the most infamous person in Fiore, Undesirable Number One. She was referred to by the general populace as the 'Fugitive Princess'.

Although 13 years had passed, she was never found. There were the typical, rumors, claims and false leads being thrown around, but none of them actually amounted to anything.

Juvia sat in the archives of Phantom Lord looking for information about Zeref. There wasn't much. Almost everything about the war had been suppressed by Zeref and the Magic Council. Though the details of the war were sketchy in themselves. It seemed as if the attack on Fiore by Zeref's army was completely unprompted. More than a simple attack, it was more like a brutal massacre.

Juvia shut a heavy tome with a sigh. It wasn't getting her anywhere.

Getting up, she exited the archives in favor of walking through the halls of the Phantom Lord headquarters, allowing her mind to wander.

Since guilds were illegal, Phantom Lord's building was disguised as a rundown abandoned building on the outskirts of Oak Town. It was enchanted to look filthy and small on the outside, but the inside was large and spotless. Anyone who didn't bear the guild emblem couldn't enter. If they _did_ attempt to step through the doors, they would immediately remember some other important task and run off.

Juvia couldn't remember anything before coming to Phantom Lord. She had been abandoned by her parents at the age of ten, right before the war. She had almost been starving to death when Jose found her and took her to Phantom Lord. Since he had saved her life, Juvia was pretty much willing to do anything for him.

Jose was her adopted father, but…..he hadn't been the kindest of men. Far from it, actually. Juvia preferred not to think about the times he had beaten and abused her while she was still in training to be a wizard. She tried not to think badly of Jose. She really did. But sometimes, it got to be really tough.

Juvia used water magic. Water mages weren't too rare, but Juvia was one of the more powerful ones out there. Jose's method of training had been harsh, but thanks to it, she was one of the most skillful assassins of Phantom Lord. Unlike her fellow members, who liked to play with their targets before killing them, Juvia preferred to it quickly and without a mess.

"Oi! Juvia!"

Shaken out of her musings, the water mage turned around and looked at the speaker. "Totomaru," She said coolly.

Totomaru, a fire wizard, grinned. "I heard you've been given some new mission from Jose."

Juvia raised an eyebrow. Word sure did get around fast. "Maybe," She said cagily.

"Aw, don't be like that. A hint, at least?"

"No," Juvia said bluntly. "It's classified information. Juvia's been ordered not to tell."

Totomaru sighed. "Fine," He suddenly peered at her face. "Hey…..there are bags under your eyes. Not been sleeping well?"

Juvia absentmindedly raised a hand to touch her face. "Something like that."

Night after night, Juvia was plagued with nightmares. It was the same dream, over and over. A great castle crumbling to the ground, a woman; whose face Juvia could never remember, writhing in pain, two girls, suspiciously familiar, running hand in hand across a blood stained battlefield. Fire and smoke. Demons. Bloodthirsty soldiers. That nightmare was one of the few things Juvia was absolutely terrified of.

She'd wake up, gasping in fear and wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the night.

This had become almost a routine for Juvia, a part of her everyday life. It didn't stop her from dreading it every night, though.

Walking away from Totomaru, Juvia paused by an open window and gazed out at the twilight. The sky was slowly being lit up by the stars. The sweet voice of a child echoed in her mind.

' _See, Juvia, those are the constellations. Mother taught me all about them! That one's Taurus, and…..'_

Wincing, Juvia massaged her temples, hissing at the sudden, pounding pain. She got headaches like this often, mostly after a nightmare.

 _I can't understand it,_ Juvia thought, a scowl on her face. _Why do I keep having these….visions?!_

Something was about to change. As Juvia gazed out at the night sky, she felt it very strongly. Something was about to change. Across Fiore, in the Fairy Tail guild, Mavis Vermillion felt it. In the royal castle, Zeref Dragneel felt it as he caressed a leather bound book in his hands.

Something was about to change.

 **(A/N): New story! Well, actually, it's** _ **not**_ **so new. I've been writing it in a notebook for a while, and this is just my attempt to see how people like it. Hope you guys stick with me!**

 **For those of you who are familiar with my stories** _ **Fallen Star, Royal Romance**_ **and** _ **Starlight Starbright,**_ **the pairings in this story are same as usual: Gruvia, NaLu, Jerza, Gajevy and Zervis….but mostly Gruvia and NaLu.**

 **Thank you all for reading, please review!**

 **Oh, and,** _ **light is in the dark**_ **, thank you for your absolutely sweet review! It got me all fired up!**

 _ **Next time: The Fugitive Princess**_


	3. The Fugitive Princess

**Chapter-2**

 **The Fugitive Princess**

Three weeks passed. After all the formalities had been taken care of, Juvia found herself in the royal palace one Friday morning.

She had arrived by carriage, donning an elegant blue gown that she was definitely _not_ used to and that she definitely did _not_ like. Honestly, how did one walk in these things? What if she was ambushed, or there was an attack? Heck, why did ladies wear these ridiculous things in the first place?

Jose hadn't come with her, saying that he would drop by for a visit a few days after she had settled in. When Juvia reached the palace, Prince Natsu was waiting for her. Emperor Zeref dropped by briefly to say hello, before going about his other businesses. Natsu led her into an expensive and grand lounge.

The Prince was indeed everything Juvia had heard about him. Kind, goofy and easy-going. He immediately settled into calling her by her first name, not bothering with any titles. Beneath that exterior, however there seemed to be…..something _odd_. Something like guilt or regret. Juvia couldn't put her finger on it.

She shivered slightly while recalling Zeref. He looked too young to be an emperor, with a pleasant face, well-kept black hair-and yet something about him made Juvia wary…the depths of his eyes were cold.

"You're a water mage, right?" Natsu asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, Natsu-san." The Prince had insisted on her using his first name instead of his title.

"Cool!" Natsu grinned. "We should fight sometime!"

"…perhaps." So it seemed like Natsu liked engaging in combat. It really didn't surprise Juvia, somehow. "You are a Fire Dragon Slayer, correct?"

"Yeah," Natsu nodded. "My cousins are all dragon slayers as well. Runs in the family, seems like."

Juvia had heard of them. Gajeel Redfox, Wendy Marvell, Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney. They were all Iron, Sky, White and Shadow dragon slayers respectively. All of them were powerful in their own right, even Wendy; who was only 14 years old.

There was a knock at the door, interrupting them.

"Come in!" Natsu called.

The door opened and a young man stepped in. He had spiky black hair, grey eyes and was incredibly handsome, Juvia thought.

"Gray," Natsu acknowledged him. "Where on Earthland have you been?"

Gray sneered at him. "A scouting mission, _Prince_ Natsu. I told you already yesterday."

Natsu blinked. "Yeah? Weird, I don't remember…"

Juvia tuned out their conversation, trying to remember what Master Jose had told her about this man.

Gray Fullbuster. He was Prince Natsu's bodyguard. A highly skilled Ice Wizard who also, reputably, specialized in Devil Slaying Magic as well. Jose had cautioned her to be wary of this man and for good reason. Not only was he a powerful wizard, but he was also at Natsu's side nearly 24/7.

"This is Juvia," Natsu said, gesturing to her offhandedly. "My fiancée."'

The word 'fiancée' came out sounding like a grimace more than anything else. Before Juvia could ponder this, Gray's gaze snapped to meet hers.

"Lady Juvia," He greeted her cordially. "It's an honor to meet you."

"The honor is all mine, Sir Fullbuster," Juvia replied dutifully, courtesy of days of painful etiquette classes on how to speak and act like a noble. She held out her hand automatically. Gray kissed it.

Juvia convinced herself that the slight shiver that up her spine was due to nerves and nothing else.

"Juvia," Natsu turned to her. "Your things were sent to your room. Would you like to go there and unpack, and stuff?"

"Yes, if it's not a problem," Juvia said thankfully, though making sure none of her emotion were splayed out on her face. "I am…tired from my journey."

"Right," Natsu said. "Oi, Gray."

"What?"

"Call L-my maid for me, will you?"

Gray looked confused. "Why don't you-"

"Send for her and I _won't_ give your cousin Ultear embarrassing information about you the next time she visits."

Snapping his mouth shut, Gray glowered at Natsu darkly before stalking out of the room.

Natsu turned back to a bemused Juvia and smiled sheepishly. "Er, sorry about that. Gray and I, um, don't get along too well."

"Ju-I can see that," Juvia replied dryly.

The door opened again and Gray came back in, followed by a pretty maidservant with golden hair in a high ponytail and downcast brown eyes.

"Here you are, _Your Highness_ ," Gray said mockingly as he stepped aside to allow the maidservant to pass.

"You sent for me, Your Highness?" The maidservant asked in a monotone voice.

"Yeah…Lucy, take Juvia to her rooms so she can rest, will you?" Natsu spoke in a voice strangely devoid of any emotion.

Was it just Juvia, or was the atmosphere really tense all of a sudden? Even Gray looked rather nervous, for unknown reasons…

The maidservant-Lucy, raised her head and looked into Juvia's eyes.

Juvia stifled a gasp and staggered back as she was suddenly assaulted with a blinding pain in her forehead. The scenes from her nightmare hung before her eyes, only this time, more vivid and real.

 _Fire, smoke._

 _A battlefield stained with blood._

 _A young girl's voice, screaming in agony._

 _A beautiful woman, covered in blood, smiling with tears running down her crimson-stained cheeks…_

Juvia drew in a deep, shuddering breath and tried to calm herself.

"Shall we go then, my lady?" Lucy voice brought her out of her thoughts. Juvia winced as the pain came back in full force.

"Yes," She managed. Nodding cordially to Natsu and Gray, she thankfully followed Lucy out of the room.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Once they were gone, Gray turned to Natsu. ''I don't trust her."

"Who?" Natsu asked obliviously.

"Juvia, you moron!"

"Don't call me that! And…why not? She seems like a nice person."

Gray shook his head. "There's something fishy about her. I can't put my finger on it, but it's nothing good, that's for sure. Can't you have the Emperor cancel the whole thing?

Natsu sighed heavily. "You know as well as I do that Zeref would never go back on his word. It's hopeless."

"Are you sure that this is what you want, Natsu? After all, you're in love with-"

"That's enough, Gray." Natsu said harshly and Gray knew that the conversation was over.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

At dinnertime, Lucy's duties for the day were over. Instead of heading to the kitchens for her (rather sparse) meal as she usually did, Lucy made straight for the servant's quarters and entered the bare, dingy room she shared with another maidservant, Levy.

Shutting the door, Lucy changed out of her uniform quickly. As she took off the apron, she unfastened a belt around her waist, on which hung a pouch containing her keys. Wrapping it up safely in her clothes, Lucy slipped into her nightgown.

As she stood in front of the cracked body mirror, brushing her long golden hair, the door burst open and Levy came in; her cheeks flushed and her eyes shining.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Well, _someone's_ happy today." _That makes one of us._

Levy laughed nervously. "I-I don't know what you're talking about, Lu."

"Sure you don't," Lucy said skeptically before turning back to the mirror.

 _No one would really imagine that I'm actually Princess Luc y Heartfilia if they saw me now,_ Lucy thought, observing herself critically in the mirror. _Or the Fugitive Princess or whatever other nonsense they persist in calling me. Dressed in a ding maid's outfit; surviving on just enough food to survive-I really don't seem like a princess, do I? No one in their right minds would suspect me, even if I do resemble Mother. It's all Zeref's fault-it's always been. He slaughtered my friends and family and took control of the kingdom that should have been mine by default. And now, he's looking for me-too bad he doesn't bother checking his own castle._

Lucy really couldn't remember much of the night on which she had lost everything. The most she could remember were her parents' deaths-and oh, how she _wished_ she could forget it! There were a few others, blurred and hazy, of a young girl leading her by the hand to safety (though for the life of her she could never remember the girl's name or face.) and some others, all of the war. Lucy reckoned it was a psychological issue-the brain had probably suppressed most of the traumatically horrifying memories in a mental self defense.

Lucy often thanked her stars that she had been given a name like 'Lucy' instead of some other obscure and rare name. There were plenty of Lucys all over Fiore-before the war; many people had given their daughters that name in honor of the kingdom's beloved princess. It was true that Lucy looked like her mother, but her appearance wasn't so unique either-there were plenty of people who looked like her.

If there was one person whom Lucy hated more than anything in the world, it was Zeref Dragneel, the man who had taken _everything_ from her.

And yet, the one person whom Lucy loved desperately, with all of her heart and soul was none other than Natsu Dragneel, Zeref's younger brother.

Oh, the irony.

 **(A/N): Hey there everyone! So we finally get to meet Natsu, Gray and Lucy. Yay~! Next chapter we'll see the beginnings of Gruvia and we'll meet Gajeel as well, if briefly. They'll be some info on NaLu's relationship so far as well as the whole deal with Zeref. Fairy Tail shall be introduced as well, along with Gray/Lucy brotp~! Look forward to it!**

 **And to clarify some points?**

 **Is this** _ **really**_ **NaLu and Gruvia? Absolutely.**

 **What's the deal with Lucy living in the castle? You'll find out in the later chapters.**

 **What** _ **really**_ **happened during the war? Good things come to those who wait~**

 **Will Gray ever find out about Juvia's mission? Yup! Prepare for the angst. *chuckles darkly***

 **What is Fairy Tail's role in this? You'll find out in the next chapter.**

 **Will Lucy and Juvia ever meet again? Most definitely.**

 **How long is** _ **Secrets**_ **so far? I've written up to ten, long chapters.**

 **What about the other couples? Coming up shortly~**

 **If you guys have any other questions, feel free to ask in the reviews! And, for my lovely reviewers;** _ **Amandineylan,**_ **thank you for your lovely review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!** _ **Meijin Lightus**_ **, great to see you again! Please continue to review!**

 _ **Next Chapter: The Emperor**_


	4. The Emperor

**Chapter-3**

 **The Emperor**

At dinner, Juvia was looking around the dining hall in awe; admiring the golden ornaments, the silken tapestries and the grand chandelier, when the door opened and Gajeel Redfox, the Prince's cousin entered nonchalantly and sat down.

"You're late," Zeref remarked calmly. "Did something happen?"

Gajeel shook his head shortly and picked up a fork and began to chew on it. Juvia nearly choked on the bite of food she had just taken.

"He was probably out with a girl," Natsu snickered. Gajeel sputtered and glared at him, his cheeks turning a telling crimson.

"Shut up, Salamander!"

"But is what he said true?" Zeref prodded with a smirk.

"I swear," Gajeel grumbled. "If it wasn't treason to kill ya all, I would've done it already!"

Juvia paused eating at his words. Her mind went to the mission she had to complete.

Assassinate Prince Natsu.

Her eyes roamed over to where Gray was sitting beside Natsu.

Could she really do it?

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

The moonlight streaming in through the window seemed to make the keys in Lucy's hands shine brighter-at least, she thought so.

Levy was fast asleep in the bed next to hers. Lucy didn't feel a bit tired. She wanted to think-and think- and think.

She drank in the sight of the beautifully crafted keys in her hand. Four golden and five silver. They were passed down to her by her mother.

Just a flick of a key, an incantation on her lips and Lucy would have a spirit at her beck and call-either of the zodiac or of any other constellation.

Taurus. Aquarius. Cancer. Capricorn

Lyra. Horologium. Crux. Nikora. Pyxis.

Lucy loved them all dearly. They were her friends, her comrades the only ones who knew all of her secrets and she didn't mind in the slightest.

Everyday, she wore them at her side, concealed by her apron. It was dangerous, of course, if anyone got even a glimpse of them, they'd know instantly that she was Lucy Heartfilia.

And then, it'd a death sentence for her, and everything would be over.

All the same, Lucy loved having them at her side. It was a constant reminder that she was not alone, that she would always have a friend.

Her thoughts drifted to Natsu.

Lucy had known, since the very beginning that she had been setting herself up for heartbreak. The both of them could never be together.

But it was worth it, Lucy thought. _Better to have loved and have lost than to have not loved at all._

Whispered confessions. Stolen kisses.

Yes, it had been worth it.

And yet, she was the Fugitive Princess and he was the Emperor's brother.

They could never be together.

Never.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Juvia awoke with a gasp, her body trembling and her skin glistening with sweat.

She had had another nightmare, and it was worse than the ones she normally had.

Closing her eyes, Juvia tried to remember. She had seen the battlefield, the castle collapsing, fire and smoke, countless dead and mutilated bodies-and worse of all-a great black dragon with blue markings.

"Why am I seeing all of this?" Juvia muttered.

Closing her eyes, she tried to go back to sleep and forget everything. Her effort was in vain. Getting up with a sigh, Juvia threw on a cloak to cover her nightgown and left her room.

After nearly getting lost twice (the castle was like a maze, for heaven's sake!), Juvia finally stumbled out of the front doors. She allowed a rare smile to grace her features upon seeing the grounds.

They were well-kept and decorated, with lakes and fountains and beds of flowers. Bathed in the light of the silvery full moon, they practically radiated beauty.

She wandered the grounds for a bit before sitting down at the rim of a fountain. The minute her fingers made contact with the cool water, Juvia's body relaxed and all of her worries d troubles seemed to slip away.

Footsteps sounded behind her and she swung around.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Gray was doing his nightly patrol of the grounds when he spotted someone sitting at the fountain. Cautiously, he moved closer and relaxed slightly when he realized it was only Juvia.

She sensed his presence and spun around, only to pause in confusion when her eyes landed on him.

"Sir Fullbuster?"

Gray winced, he really wished she wouldn't call him that. "Lady Juvia," He greeted her. "What are you doing out here so late?"

The suspicion in his voice must have been evident because she narrowed her eyes and stood up, drawing her cloak closer to her body.

"I couldn't sleep," Juvia said stiffly. "So I decided to get some fresh air."

"I see. What do you think of the castle?"

"It is very beautiful," She replied dutifully. "Everyone is very kind to Ju-to me. Despite this being my first day here, I am enjoying it very much."

"That's good to know." Gray frowned. She spoke-and acted normally-and yet there was _something_ off about her….

"Listen…." He began. "About Natsu…."

"The Prince?"

"It's about him and Lucy, the maid," Gray hesitated. "They're in love with each other."

Juvia blinked. That was….unexpected. She had sensed some tension before, but-

"And why are you telling me this?"

"Well, why aren't you more worried?" Gray countered.

 _Why, indeed_. Probably because this was only a sham of an engagement.

Juvia shrugged. "Why should I be more worried? She is no competition, being only a _servant_."

God, she sounded like a heartless bitch. Juvia really didn't give a damn about Lucy's status-Juvia herself was no royalty, after all. But she had to play her role as the snooty noble.

Gray took a step towards Juvia, suddenly angry.

He did not expect her reaction.

Juvia flinched automatically and took a step backwards.

Now, it wasn't as if she couldn't protect herself against Gray if she needed to. Quite the opposite, really. Juvia could (probably) take him out with one hand tied behind her back if she needed to. But the image of him closing in on her, suddenly transformed into Jose advancing on her with a swirling ball of shades as she cowered as a child, weak and defenseless-

Gray stopped in confusion. Her name slipped from his lips without him even noticing. "Juvia?" He paused and stared at her in shock.

There was raw fear in her eyes.

"J-Juvia should go," She stammered and rushed past him. Gray was left there, standing in stupefied silence.

"….did she just talk in _third_ person?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lucy knocked at Natsu's door cautiously.

 _I'm not ready for this. I can't face him. I can't, I can't, I-_

She almost sighed in relief when Gray opened the door.

"Good morning, Gray," She greeted him. "Where's Na-the Prince?"

"He's with the Emperor," Lucy's lips drew into a thin line at the mention of Zeref but she said nothing and instead moved to begin her cleaning.

Happy, Natsu's Exceed companion was perched on the curtain railing. "Natsu never plays with me these days," He complained.

Lucy smiled kindly at him. "I'm sure he's just busy, Happy."

Happy pouted. "If Natsu's going to be all boring like that, I'm gonna go play with Carla instead." He flew out of the window. Lucy laughed at his antics.

"So Lucy," Gray leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "How are you feeling?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Gray."

"Don't play dumb, Lucy. You know just as well as I do."

"If you're talking about Natsu," Lucy shoved a chair rather viciously out of the way. "I have nothing to say or speak about him."

"Is this about his engagement to Lady Juvia?" Gray asked bluntly.

Lucy said nothing, feeling hot jealousy bubble up in her chest.

Gray sighed and spoke quietly. "He's hurting too, you know." Lucy froze. Then-

"I know."

 _And that's why I have to stay away from him._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"You're leaving again?" Natsu raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Zeref, who smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, Natsu. But this is an urgent matter that needs my supervision."

"You came back just yesterday," Natsu groused, a petulant look on his face. Zeref simply sighed.

"I can't help it, Natsu. You know that."

Natsu simply huffed and looked away. Zeref rolled his eyes at his childishness.

"Have you heard any rumors about the Fugitive Princess lately, Natsu?" Zeref changed the subject.

Natsu stiffened slightly, but answered as casually as he could. "The Heartfilia girl? Nah, though there are some wild rumors that she was killed by Vulcans in the East Forest."

Zeref smiled darkly. "No, those are just rumors. Believe me, I know."

Natsu frowned. "But Zeref, why do you want her dead so badly? It doesn't make sense for you to keep hunting for her like this."

Zeref closed his eyes.

" _She that is born of the stars, will be the only one_

 _To vanquish….."_

"Everybody has something to protect, Natsu." Zeref murmured. He looked up at the azure sky.

"Even a monster."

XOXXOXOXOXOXOXO

"How could I have been so careless?" Juvia muttered as she paced across her room. "Not only does he suspect me-but I also went and acted so-so _weak_ in front of him!"

There was a knock at the door. Hastily straightening her dress, Juvia went to answer it.

It was the Prince.

"Yo, Juvia," He said casually. "You ready to go down to breakfast?"

"Yes," Juvia nodded faintly and drew in her breath sharply when she saw Gray shadowing Natsu as usual.

If Natsu noticed anything, he didn't comment.

"Let's go, then," Natsu turned on his heel and walked down the hallway. Juvia let him gain distance before addressing Gray curtly.

"Good morning, Sir Fullbuster."

"Lady Juvia," Gray inclined his head slightly before speaking awkwardly. "Er, about last night-"

"You saw nothing." Juvia informed him crisply before following Natsu.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Did you hear? The Fugitive Princess has been spotted in the streets of Cocus!"

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah! She's really bold, coming out in the open like that….."

"I know, right?"

Lucy rolled her eyes as she passed the two gossiping maids. These rumors were seriously getting out of hand. Even if Zeref hadn't thought of searching the castle for her-the Princess-he still wasn't stupid enough to believe the ridiculous rumors that were flying around.

She was safe-for now. There was only one person in the entire who knew who she was-and Lucy knew he wouldn't say anything.

" _Yo, Luce!"Natsu greeted her with his usual bright grin. Lucy smiled back at him, ignoring the way her heart thumped against her chest when he said her name._

" _Good morning, Your Highness," She entered the room, armed with a mop in one hand and a duster in the other. Natsu pouted._

" _Don't call me that, Luce! I already told you, call me-"_

" _-Natsu." Lucy finished with a slight smirk._

" _That's right."_

" _Where's Happy?" Lucy changed the subject._

" _Off to visit Carla," Natsu smiled rather evilly. "The little guy's head over heels for her."_

 _Lucy laughed. "Well-"_

 _She got no further. As Lucy stepped towards the windows to clean them, she tripped over an abandoned book on the floor. Before she could crash to the ground, however, Natsu caught her by the shoulders and supported her._

" _Jeez, Natsu!" Lucy scolded him. "You can't leave books lying around like that!" She stopped short when she realized that he was staring at the ground. Lucy followed his gaze and the blood drained from her face instantly._

 _Her keys had fallen from her belt and were lying, exposed, on the ground._

 _Hundreds of mostly useless excuses sprung to her lips, along for pleas for mercy, bribes, and well-anything._

" _I-It's not what you think-" Lucy stammered. "I-I-"_

 _But then, Natsu gently let go of her, picked up the keys and held them out to her, smiling encouragingly._

 _Lucy stared at him, stunned, even as she hesitantly took the keys from his fingers._

 _He was going to turn a blind eye on this, Lucy realized suddenly. Even though he was committing treason against his brother by doing it….._

 _Warmth swelled in her chest._

 _Natsu was protecting her._

 _And that's when Lucy suddenly knew that she loved him._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"I got a letter from Levy, First Master."

It was a quiet day in the Fairy Tail guild, well, as quiet as being in an illegal guild can be, when Erza held out Levy's letter to Mavis Vermillion, the founder of the guild.

Mavis didn't look up from the paper she was scribbling on as she spoke. "What does it say?"

"She'll be able to bring the Princess here the day after tomorrow."

Mavis looked up at this and her jade eyes shone in excitement. "That's wonderful."

"Indeed," Erza nodded. "I'm looking forward to seeing Levy as well-and maybe a certain someone will be less grumpy after she shows up." She shot a pointed glare in the general direction of Gajeel, who turned bright red and muttered something rude under his breath.

"Like you haven't been grumpy since Tattoo-face left on his mission."

"Did you say something, Gajeel?"

"Who, me? Nope, not at all."

Mavis shook her head amusedly at the predictable sight and turned to Mirajane, who was wiping glasses at the bar. "Have you heard anything from the Third Master yet?"

Mira shook her head unhappily. "He's still on the run from the Council."

Mavis laid her head on the table with a sigh. "Things are getting more dangerous by the day. Ever since Zeref banned all the magic guilds, everything has been so much more difficult. I fear for our lives."

Mira almost dropped her glass in shock. The First Master was like a beacon of light that guided them. She was always cheerful, always hopeful, and always optimistic-and that was why Mira had always thought that emotions like fear and anxiety were impossible for Master Mavis.

But, like the rest of them, Master Mavis was simply human.

Mira called to her sister. "You're going to the castle today, aren't you, Lisanna? Try and check up on the Princess for us!"

"Sure thing, Mira!"

 **(A/N): Here's another quick update for you guys~ Thank you for your lovely reviews and your favoriting and following!**

 **Thanks for reviewing again,** _ **Meijin Lightus**_ **!**

 **Thank you so much for your sweet review,** _ **Guest**_ **! I can't tell you how happy it made me. Yes, this is 100% Gruvia and NaLu, not to worry! I can't stand Graylu either, though it's cute as a brotp. (No offense to Graylu fans!) Ooh, yes, when Gray finds out about Juvia's mission it will be extremely angsty. Wait for it~! I haven't written the scene yet, but I'm really looking forward to it. I've planned it all out. Their relationship will be rough not perfect, same with the other couples.**

 **See you all soon!**

 _ **Next Chapter: To Trust or Not to Trust**_


	5. To Trust or Not to Trust

**Chapter-4**

 **To Trust or Not to Trust**

Gray watched Juvia discreetly as she talked to Natsu-well, Natsu did most of the talking, Juvia only listened.

He couldn't understand her. One moment, she seemed to be cold, strong and heartless; and the next, she seemed so terrified of him.

Gray had seen many things in the twenty-five years of his life. One of them was abuse.

And the terror Juvia had shown-was clearly the sign of someone who had been abused.

What could he do? Ignore it? Confront her about it? Tell Natsu?

Gray winced at the last thought. No, that would be an invitation for disaster.

"…so, Lisanna, a friend of mine, is coming over today," Natsu was saying. "She's great, but don't hang around her for too long, she'll corrupt ya."

Juvia blinked. "Corrupt me?"

"Yeah," Natsu grumbled. "She looks innocent, but don't let that fool you. Lisanna's a regular demon, just like her sister….."

Juvia listened to his words, growing more puzzled at each syllable. The concept of friendship confused her. It was complex and mind-boggling, in Juvia's opinion. All her life, she had never had friends, only allies. She had been taught to depend on no one, to be cold hearted and brutal, to push away anyone who came near.

And then, there was love. Why did people fall in love? Gray told her that Prince Natsu was in love with that maid, but why would anyone with such high status; who could have any woman he wanted, fall in love with a servant? Or was there more than what met the eye?

"Juvia? You listening?"

The water mage in question shook her thoughts away and gave Natsu an awkward smiled. "Of course, Natsu-san."

Natsu didn't seem too convince, but nodded anyway.

The three of them were waiting near the gates of the castle for Lady Lisanna to arrive. Juvia absently ran over whatever she knew about the lady in her mind-younger sister to Lady Mirajane and Lord Elfman; kind, cheerful, strong and a childhood friend of the Prince's. Juvia knew about Mirajane, too-compassionate, sweet; but as terrifying as a demon on the battlefield.

The sound of the gates opening called for her attention. Juvia looked up and watched the luxurious carriage rumble through the entrance. It stopped and the driver opened the door. A flying blur of blue and silver shot out of the carriage and flung itself at Natsu.

Natsu grunted as he reeled back and gripped Lisanna's shoulders in an attempt to steady himself. "Jeez, Lis," He groused. "You're getting heavy."

Natsu's offhand remark was met with a slap to the face, Gray bursting into laughter and even Juvia's lips twitching humorously.

"You can't say things like that to a lady, Natsu!" Lisanna scolded. Swinging around and straightening her gown, she smiled brightly when she caught sight of Juvia.

"You must be Juvia!" Lisanna pushed Natsu away and clasped a bewildered Juvia's hands in her own. "I've heard so much about you!"

"Y-You have?" Juvia stammered despite herself.

"Leave the poor girl alone, Lis," Natsu interrupted, rubbing at the mark on his face. "Let her breathe a bit."

"Did you say something, Natsu?" Lisanna asked sweetly.

"Who, me? Nope, not at all."

"I thought so," Lisanna turned her attention to Juvia again. "Let's go inside and get acquainted. Oh, it's lovely to see you all again!"

"What am I, chopped liver?" Gray grumbled. Lisanna laughed.

"Sorry Gray, I kinda forgot about you. Here, let me give you a hug."

Juvia felt a queer burning sensation in her chest at the sight of Lisanna giving Gray a bear hug, which only intensified when Gray affectionately returned the hug, laughing.

 _Breakfast must have disagreed with me,_ she thought.

"Let's go in and have a nice chat," Lisanna proposed, taking Juvia's hand.

"What about us?" Natsu demanded.

"Go…train, or something."

"Hold on, I thought you came to visit _me!_ "

"No, I came to visit Juvia. Now beat it!"

Lisanna dragged an amused Juvia into the castle, leaving Gray and Natsu to glare after them helplessly.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

The day passed peacefully enough until dinnertime. Natsu and Lisanna walked to the dining hall, laughing and chatting while Juvia and Gray followed silently.

Lisanna threw a glance over her shoulder at the duo and raised an eyebrow.

"Is it just me," She whispered to Natsu. "Or do Gray and Juvia seem to hate each other?"

Natsu gave her a strange look. "Why would they hate each other?" He asked obliviously. "They've known each other for like, half a day."

"One day," Lisanna corrected. "And-"

She paused and drew in her breath sharply as a blonde maid hurried past them. Beside her, Natsu stiffened.

Being a regular visitor at the castle had certain advantages. Lisanna was able to give reports to the guild about Zeref's doing, check up on Levy, who had infiltrated the castle in order to watch over Princess Lucy.

One of the advantages was being one of the few members of Fairy Tail who had seen the Princess in person.

Lisanna was relieved to see Lucy in relatively good health. Her face was pale, though, and she showed signs of sleeplessness, but other that, she seemed to be fine.

Natsu cleared his throat and Lisanna snapped to attention. They had arrived at the dining hall.

"Will the Emperor not join us for dinner?" Lisanna asked lightly as she sat down in the chair the butler had pulled out for her.

Gray spoke up. "His Majesty has other matters to attend to."

Lisanna was secretly relieved. Being in the presence of someone as powerful and dangerous as Zeref made her nervous. There was something about Zeref's dark eyes that made a person feel as if he was looking past them and into their soul. Despite his calm and pleasant exterior that fooled many, Zeref was still the man who had wiped out the entire Heartfilia Empire in a few days. He was, in short, frankly terrifying.

In the meantime, Juvia was silently picking at the rich food set before her, inwardly wincing at her pounding head. She'd been having these headaches a lot more frequently since she had arrived in the palace. And the nightmares, as well. She was almost afraid to sleep now, because of them.

It was always the same thing, over and over. A huge castle, crumbling to the ground. Dead people scattered across a battlefield, their blood running for miles to come. A girl, whose face Juvia could never remember, crying helplessly as her mother died before her eyes. And then there was that woman, smiling with tears running down her cheeks. And then fire and smoke, everywhere; so vivid that Juvia could almost feel the heat of the flames.

"Juvia?" She raised her head and met Lisanna's concerned gaze. "Are you sick or something? You haven't eaten a thing!"

Juvia pushed her plate away hurriedly, trying to ignore Gray's suspicious look. "J-I'm just not very hungry, that's all. I-I think I will retire to my chambers."

She got up and fled, scolding herself inwardly for giving them reason to suspect her.

If Jose heard about this, she'd really catch it.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Goodnight, Lis," Natsu said quickly, once they exited the dining hall.

Lisanna tilted her head to one side. "Already? We just ate-"

But she didn't get to finish her sentence as Natsu dashed away.

"Honestly," Lisanna shook her head. "If he wanted some time to himself, he could've said so…." She glanced at Gray, who was still standing there. "Aren't you going with him, Mr. Bodyguard?"

Gray shook his head. "I have patrols now," He lied, having a good idea of what Natsu was up to. "Natsu'll be fine without me. He doesn't even need a bodyguard." He added the last bit in a mutter under his breath.

"Fine. Goodnight, Gray."

"'Night, Lisanna."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Natsu raced up the stairs two at a time. It was only eight-thirty-if he was fast, he could make it in time-

He slowed to a stop as his rooms came into view. Lucy was just leaving and shutting the door behind her.

"Lucy!"

The Celestial Mage looked up at Natsu's voice and instinctively backed away, bumping into the door.

"Wait a minute," Natsu slopped right in front of her, blocking any escape. Lucy

looked down at the floor, refusing to meet his burning gaze. "Damnit Lucy, look at

me!"

"I just-" Natsu took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Lucy murmured. "I-I don't blame you."

Natsu took hold of her chin and raised her head, forcing her to look at him. Brown

eyes met onyx.

 _No matter what, I'll always love you._

The words hung in the air, unspoken.

"I love you."

Natsu did not respond in words, but instead bent his head; his lips meeting hers in a searing kiss.

Lucy closed her eyes automatically and gripped his shoulders as her knees became wobbly and threatened to give out below her. This wasn't the first time they had kissed, but somehow, Natsu's burning kisses always seemed to have that effect on her.

 _What….am I doing…..?_

Lucy pulled away and pushed Natsu back. "We can't," She whispered. "Not now."

 _Not when you're engaged to someone else._

She shoved past him and ran blindly to the servant's quarters, wondering what more could that man do to break a heart that was already broken.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

At midnight, Juvia sat on a stone bench near the fountain, watching the rippling waters dully. She really should have been in bed, but the nightmares were getting so vivid and terrifying that Juvia really couldn't bear them anymore. Juvia wasn't sure how long she could keep this up, this was her second night of getting no sleep and she already felt sleep-deprived.

 _Here I am_ , Juvia thought bitterly. _Juvia Lockser, S-class mage of Phantom Lord, trained assassin and I'm cringing here like a frightened child because of some figment of my imagination._

"Why is it that we're always meeting at night?"

Juvia didn't have to turn before she knew who it was. "Sir Fullbuster," She said wearily.

"Let me guess," Gray shoved his hands in his pockets and raised an eyebrow at her. "Can't sleep."

"Something like that," Juvia said stiffly.

"You know, if you're having serious problems with sleeping, you could go to the castle's healer," Gray suggested. "Aren't you really tired?"

 _No, duh._ "Not particularly," Juvia lied. The truth was that she would give anything for a good night's rest, free from hallucinations and nightmares; but that was kind of impossible now. "Tell me, Sir Fullbuster," She changed the subject. "Is it true that you're a powerful Ice Mage?"

"Yes," Gray said smoothly. "And you're a water mage, correct?"

"Correct." She affirmed.

"Would you like to test out your skills, then?"

"Test?" Juvia asked suspiciously.

"A spar, of sorts."

Figuring it wouldn't do much harm to see how powerful he was, Juvia rose and smiled delicately. "Of course. But I don't intend to go easy on you."

"Nor do I," Gray grinned. "Come on."

Juvia needed no further urging. Launching herself forward with a speed that astonished Gray, she dealt out her first attack. "Water Slicer!"

Gray dodged and the blades of water cut right through his cloak. Tossing the ripped material away carelessly, he pressed his right fist into his left palm. "Ice Make: Ice Geyser!"

A silver magic circle appeared in the sky above and a huge block of ice descended upon Juvia. The water mage simply flicked her wrist and the ice shattered.

"Not bad," was all Gray said before calling out his next spell. "Ice Make: Lance!"

The spears of ice headed swiftly towards Juvia. A ghost of a smirk crossed over her face before she said simply, "Water Body."

Gray watched in stupefied shock as the spell passed right through Juvia, as her body turned to water. _What the hell?! Her body just…._

Before he could blinked, Juvia suddenly vanished from where she was standing. Half a second later, she was behind him, holding a hand to the pressure point in hi neck. Gray knew then that the fight was over. He cursed himself for letting his guard down, for even a minute.

"You let your guard down," Juvia murmured, her voice dangerously close to his ear. "Sir Fullbuster."

Gray shuddered and was furious at himself for it. There was no reason why he should suddenly feel so self conscious of the position they were in, with Juvia's body pressed against his. Nor was there any reason to justify the fact that his heart was beating ten times faster than before.

"Good match," He said offhandedly as Juvia released him from her grip of steel. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"J-I was born with Water Magic."

"Who taught you, though?"

"Master Jose."

"Hmm," Gray's face suddenly became serious. "Listen up. Let me tell you one thing-Natsu has many powerful friends. All of them would do _anything_ to protect him."

"And why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't trust you," His words were blunt, making Juvia wince. "Maybe I'm over thinking this, but I have a feeling that you're not all that you seem to be."

Juvia didn't reply. Turning around, she walked away rigidly.

 _He already suspects me? I've been here for barely two days and he suspects me? Damnit! I underestimated him. I thought I played my cards well, but I was wrong….._

Reaching her room, Juvia slammed the door and slumped against it.

 _I just hope Master Jose doesn't find out…._


	6. Fairy Tail

**Chapter-5**

 **Fairy Tail**

"Levy, where are you taking me?"

It was the day off at the castle for the servants and Levy was dragging a half-amused, half-annoyed Lucy through the East Forest of Magnolia.

"Wait and see," Levy's hazel eyes sparkled with laughter.

"Couldn't we at least stop and rest for a bit?" Lucy complained. "It's practically the break of dawn!"

"We'll arrive soon enough and you can rest all you want."

Lucy frowned, but gave in. What else was there to do? Truthfully, though, she had been hoping to give Levy the slip and train her magic for the rest of the day. It was obviously out of the question now, though. After all, what would she tell Levy?

"Here we are!" Levy stopped suddenly and Lucy nearly crashed to the ground.

"Huh?"

They were still in the middle of the forest and there didn't seem to be anything particularly special about their location. Levy noticed Lucy's blank expression and laughed.

"Look."

Lucy followed Levy's gaze. On the ground in front of them, there was a large circle comprised of dainty toadstools and flowers. It reminded Lucy of the fairy tale books her mother had read her when she was a child; there were pictures of circles such as this one in them.

A fairy circle.

Levy stepped into the circle and held out an inviting hand to Lucy, who took it hesitantly.

What happened next was absolutely crazy and mind-boggling.

Levy bent down, touched the grass with a silver pen like device and spoke in a loud, clear voice.

"Levy McGarden, A-class member, seeking entry along with guest Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy gasped. "How do you-"

A light, feminine voice spoke, interrupting her.

"Entry granted."

The world around Lucy spun and vanished.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The guild was in a constant state of suppressed excitement, due to the fact that Levy was bringing Princess Lucy that day. Erza was excited as well, but for a different reason.

Tapping an armored hand on her table, Erza wondered if he would _never_ come.

The Fairy Tail guild was hidden deep underground. The members got in and out by using a certain magical device known as the Entrance Circle, which teleported them. Anyone who bore the Fairy Tail emblem could use it and they could bring a guest as well, granted that that person was trustworthy. All they had to do was speak their rank and name.

A deep voice reverberated through the hall, making Erza's heart skip a beat.

" _Jellal Fernandes, Wizard Saint, seeking entry."_

Master Mavis looked up from her paperwork and spoke absently into the lacrima microphone.

"Entry granted."

The Entrance Circle glowed, and Erza sprung up from her chair as a cloaked figure appeared.

Jellal flung back his hood and brushed the hair out of his eyes as he looked around and nodded courteously to the greetings coming his way.

"Welcome back, Jellal!" Mira called cheerily.

"It's good to back," Jellal said quietly and smiled when he saw Erza making her way towards him.

"Erza."

"Jellal."

Erza did her best (and failed) to suppress the blush that threatened to rise to the surface as Jellal took her hands in it.

 _Great,_ She thought scathingly. _One month of being engaged to him and I'm still acting like a god-forsaken love sick fool._

"How did the mission go?" Erza asked, scanning him for any visible injuries.

"Everything went smoothly," Jellal replied.

"I find that hard to believe," Erza frowned. "You had to take down an entire dark guild by yourself-"

"It was easy, once I manipulated them into letting their guard down and trusting me."

Erza laughed. "I thought you left your evil mastermind days behind you."

There was something of a smirk on Jellal's face as he replied. "Not entirely."

Erza shook her head in exasperation before dragging him over to a table to sit.

"You're just in time," She said, absently noticing that Jellal hadn't let go of her hands yet. "Levy's bringing Princess Lucy today."

"I see. When?"

"Anytime now," Erza said distractedly as Jellal leaned closer to her, until his breath was tickling her neck. "U-Um, what are you doing?"

"Am I not allowed to show affection to my fiancée?" Jellal murmured, kissing her forehead.

"Not in front of the guild!" Erza hissed, blushing deeply as she pushed him away.

Jellal opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped abruptly as the Entrance Circle began to glow again.

" _Levy McGarden, A-class member, seeking entry along with guest Lucy Heartfilia."_

Mavis' eyes widened slightly and she hurriedly spoke into the microphone.

"Entry granted."

The guild became silent, everyone's eyes locked onto the circle.

Levy appeared, smiling brightly around at everyone. Next to her stood a young woman, looking fearful and confused; her knees wobbling from the sudden teleportation.

It was the Princess.

Erza was surprised at first. It was true that this girl had lived as a servant for the past 13 years, but still, it was a shock to see a girl who looked nothing like royalty, let alone a Princess.

She was rather thin and pale. Her hands were hardened and rough, marred with scars. But her golden hair shone like sunlight and her eyes were large and brown, beautiful; and somewhat doe-like.

Princess Lucy let go of Levy's hand and stepped back warily, her eyes darting here and there. "Where are we, Levy? What's going-" She cut off and gasped as she saw the huge banner hanging from the ceiling, displaying the guild's emblem.

"Fairy Tail?" Lucy whispered.

"Yes!" Levy beamed. "I'm sorry that I never told you before, Lu. I'm a member of Fairy Tail. One year ago, when I arrived at the castle, it was actually to watch over you and ensure that you were safe.

"You're a wizard?"

"Yes. I use Solid Script Magic."

Lucy glanced around. Many of the faces were familiar. Erza, Jellal, Mirajane, Elfman- they were all friends of Natsu and she saw them regularly at the castle. Her eyes widened slightly when she caught sight of Gajeel and Wendy, Natsu's cousins.

She bit down on her lip. "Why did you bring me here?" Lucy asked finally.

Levy said nothing, but stepped aside, bowing respectfully as a young girl, barefoot, with long fair hair, unique jade eyes; dressed in flowing robes stepped in front of Lucy, smiling kindly. Lucy's eyes widened at the sheer amount of magic power coming from her.

"Hello, Lucy," She said softly. "My name is Mavis Vermillion. I am the founder of Fairy Tail.

Lucy's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. _She's the founder of Fairy Tail?! She can't be older than, I dunno, 14?!_

"It's an honor to meet you," Lucy said shakily. "But, erm, why am I here?"

"Fairy Tail requires your assistance."

" _My_ assistance?" Lucy repeated, amazed.

"Yes," Mavis said simply. "You are aware of the war that is darkening the horizon, are you not?"

"Yes…the guilds are going to rise in rebellion, aren't they?"

"Something like that. No, actually, it is more. Zeref wants something precious from Fairy Tail-"

"Why am I not surprised?" Lucy murmured bitterly.

Mavis smiled sympathetically as she continued. "He will stop at nothing to get it. Also, there is the Black Dragon, Acnologia. He is a main element in this war."

"He is on Zeref's side?"

"No. He is not on _any_ side-he only seeks to wipe out humanity."

Lucy shuddered. "I-I see. Um, how do I come into this?"

Mavis' face grew serious. "This country belongs to you, Lucy. You play an essential part in this war. Your magic is great and is essentially Light Magic. It would help greatly against Zeref and his demons. Lucy, you may not realize it, but you are a very powerful wizard. Your magic, in its raw form is something to be feared."

Lucy stared at her incredulously. _Her_? Powerful? That was a joke. She had never received any training, never-

"Any I suppose you know that Zeref wishes to take your life?"

"How could I not?" Lucy muttered.

"Fairy Tail-we can train you to face up against Zeref and his army. We only have a few more months, but that is enough. We have formed alliances with many other guilds, namely; Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel and Sabertooth."

"I want to avenge them," Lucy said suddenly. "My parents, I mean. And everyone else who died. Can you help me?"

"Of course," Mavis nodded and extended a hand. "Will you fight by our sides?"

Lucy drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Her mother and father.

The kingdom.

The people.

That young girl, who had saved her life.

Everyone who had laid down their lives for her beloved nation.

This was for them.

An image appeared, unbidden, in her mind.

A warm smile. Familiar onyx eyes. A scaly scarf. The comforting scent of cinnamon and camp fire. A sense of security and _home_.

Lucy willed the image away, fighting back the emotions that threatened to bubble up to the surface and the tears that burned in her eyes. A lump formed in her throat. This was no time to think about him. _They were not on the same side._

Opening her eyes, Lucy made her decision. She took Mavis' hand.

"I will."

 **(A/N): No Gruvia, or even NaLu in this chapter, This was mainly to explain Fairy Tail's role in everything and to briefly introduce the other characters. A lot of you had been asking about Fairy Tail, and the guilds' role in this story, so here's your answer! And for all you Jerza fans, rejoice!**

 **I wanted to add more GaLe, but it didn't fit in. So we'll save that more another time. Those of you who are disappointed with the lack of Gruvia, I think you're going to like the next update~**

 _ **Next Chapter: Warmth.**_

 **See you all soon!**


	7. Authors Note (Please read!)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE (IMPORTANT!):**

 **There's been this bug on which isn't allowing the chapters to be posted. Turns out, once you upload the chapters and get the error message, you have to go back, delete the chapter and repost it again. I was wondering why all of a sudden, my favs/follows and reviews had disappeared. Turns out, my story wasn't being bumped up to the the top of the list and as a result, the readers did't know that I had updated.**

 **Those of you who DID read the chapters and reviewed/faved/followed, I'm sure you're confused right now. I took down the last three chapters and re-uploaded chapter 6. I'll update the rest over the following days.**

 **I'm SO sorry for all the confusion! I hope fixes this bug soon.**

 **Stay tuned for my other chapters. I'll start posting again tomorrow. Thank you for your patience!**


	8. Warmth

**Chapter-6**

 **Warmth**

Juvia sat stiffly on the push couch, her eyes downcast and her fingers playing with the silken fabric of her dress. Jose sat right across her.

He had arrived earlier that evening to check up on her. Juvia briefly gave him a report on what had happened so far, leaving out, of course, her various encounters with Gray. And the fact that Prince Natsu had a lover-who was a maid.

Truth be told, Juvia wasn't sure _why_ she left out that information. She tried to tell herself that it was because she'd have to explain exactly how she got hold of that information. Deep down, though, Juvia knew that the reason she had kept that secret was because-for whatever reason, she wanted to protect Natsu and the maid, Lucy-even if she didn't know her. It was bizarre, really, but Juvia left it at that.

"The Emperor informed me that the wedding ceremony will be in two months," Jose said, his eyes scanning Juvia for any kind of reaction. "Any objections?"

"No, Master Jose."

"Excellent. Now, tell me, Juvia…does anyone suspect you of anything?"

Juvia's heart stood still in fear, but she remained calm outwardly. "No, no one suspects Ju-me."

Jose moved swiftly and backhanded her across the face. Juvia slumped back against the couch from the force of it, but did not flinch. She had been trained to withstand greater pain than this, after all.

"Don't lie to me, Juvia," He said silkily. "Who. Suspects. You?"

"Gray Fullbuster." There was a slight tremor in Juvia's voice as she spoke his name.

"Fix it," Jose hissed. "Or else."

He got up and strode from the room without a fleeting glance. Juvia remained motionless on the couch for a few minutes before she too, rose and rushed blindly to the door, and instantly bumped into someone.

"Whoa!" A familiar voice spoke. "Hold on-Juvia?"

Juvia looked up at Gray and instantly regretted it. His eyes widened when he saw the mark on her face from where Jose had slapped her.

"Juvia? What happened to you?" Gray made as if to touch Juvia's face but she flinched and pushed him away.

"Leave Juvia alone!"

Gray stared after her as she ran down the corridor to her room and slammed the door.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Juvia stumbled to her bed and sat down, breathing heavily. Her cheek was stinging and her eyesight was beginning to blur. Her head was pounding so badly that she couldn't see.

" _Juvia~"_ A child's playful voice echoed in her mind.

Before she could register it, darkness blotted out her vision as her consciousness faded away.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

At midnight, Gray yawned loudly as he trudged towards his chambers. The patrols had taken longer than usual that night and he was immensely tired.

He paused in front of Juvia's door, frowning.

After she had rushed to her rooms that evening, Juvia hadn't shown up to dinner or anything. She had been acting really strangely that day.

Gray remembered the mark on Juvia's face and grimaced. That had happened right after Jose Porla arrived-which only confirmed his suspicions that Juvia had been abused.

Shaking his head, Gray was about to head on to his chambers, when a noise from inside Juvia's room made him pause and turn right back around.

Something was going on.

"Sorry 'bout this," Gray mumbled as he cautiously turned the handle and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.

The light coming in from the open window was faint, but it was enough.

Juvia was lying on her bed-no, it was more like she had collapsed. Her eyes were wide open and unfocused. Her breath was coming in short, quick gasps; her skin was slick with sweat and she was mumbling unintelligible things under her breath.

 _She's having a panic attack,_ Gray realized.

Hurrying over to the bed, Gray sat down at the edge and grasped Juvia's hand. "Juvia, wake up! Snap out of it! Juvia!"

"F-Fire!" Juvia gasped out. "F-Fire-blood, blood-take it away…take it away…..!"

Gray gritted his teeth. _What the hell kind of trauma did she go through to have a panic attack like this?!_

"Juvia!" He snapped out, picking up the edges of the blanket and nudging it between her fingers. "There's no fire here, Juvia! Feel the blanket, it's soft, see?"

"Fire-!"

"There's no fire! Feel the blanket, Juvia!"

"B-Blanket? Fire-"

"Juvia, c'mon! Snap out of it!"

Juvia drew in a shuddering breath and rolled over onto her side, coughing repeatedly. Gray patiently patted her on the back until it was over.

"Wha-" Juvia croaked. "Wha-What happened?"

"A panic attack," Gray said quietly, continuing to trace soothing circles on her back. "You must have been through some severe trauma to have a panic attack like that…"

Juvia shook her head. "Juvia has never been through trauma. It was only nightmare, that's all."

Gray narrowed his eyes. There was something off about this…..

"Who took care of your…nightmares before?" He asked.

"No one," Juvia mumbled. "No one cared."

She wasn't sure why she was spilling everything so easily. Maybe it was because she was in such a vulnerable state. Maybe it was because he had helped her. Maybe it was because of this strange warmth that was settling in her chest…

Gray pulled her closer and hissed under his breath. "Jose, that bastard."

"Don't call him that," Juvia protested.

"I'm surprised you're defending a man who abused you," Gray retorted.

"How do you-"

"I'm not blind, Juvia. I know abuse when I see it."

Juvia became silent and Gray wondered if he had gone too far. But then she spoke again.

"How did you know what to do about Juvia's panic attack?"

A pause.

"That's because I used to have them myself."

There was silence once more, the only sounds were their breathing and the rustling of sheets.

 _No one has ever been so kind to me._ Juvia thought. _But why….why does being so close to him, why does it make my heart pound so much?_

"Will you stay?" Juvia asked. "Until I fall asleep?"

She saw him smirk. "I was planning on doing that, anyway."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

Silence again. Then-

"Gray?"

He couldn't help but smile. It was the first time she had said his name. "What is it?"

"You feel warm."

Gray looked down at her in surprise, but she had already fallen asleep against his chest.

" _It's such a pity, Layla. Celestial Mages keep their promises, yet you have broken yours…"_

" _Leave Lucy out of this! It was my fault, so don't hurt her!"_

" _The girl must die. For Natsu's sake, she must…."_

" _No! Don't you lay a finger on her!"_

" _The prophecy says-"_

" _To hell with the prophecy!"_

" _It's a little too late for that, Layla. I will personally ensure that your daughter dies. As long as she lives, Natsu is in danger."_

" _I won't let you-!"_

Juvia awoke and blinked drowsily as the faint morning light entered her eyes. That had definitely been the best sleep she had ever had. She had felt so warm and comfortable and best of all, there had been none of the dreaded nightmares.

Juvia was about to close her eyes and go back to sleep, when she noticed something.

Or rather, someone.

She sprung up, stifling a shriek at the sight of Gray spread out beside her, fast asleep.

When the memories of the previous night came flooding back to her, Juvia buried her face in her hands and groaned. How could she have been so _weak_?

Slowly uncovering her face, she looked at Gray again and squeaked.

His shirt was missing.

What, was this 'Embarrass-Juvia-Until-She-Feels-Like-Dying' day or something?

Trying not to look at his perfectly sculpted chest (was this man even for real?!), Juvia took the opportunity to observe his face.

Gray looked strangely peaceful. There were no creases of worry or anxiety about his face. His lips were curved into a small half-smile, as if he was having a pleasant dream.

Juvia reached out to touch his face but quickly jerked back as he stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

"Juvia?" Gray mumbled, sitting up. He looked around sleepily and then his eyes widened.

"Damnit!" He cursed. "I meant to go to my room yesterday, but I fell asleep here….." He turned sheepishly to Juvia. "Sorry."

"Juvia should be the one apologizing. Because of me-"

"Don't beat yourself up about it."

"Thank you," Juvia said softly. "For last night-no one ever cared enough to help me before."

"No problem," Gray grinned at her. "That's what friends do, right?"

"F-Friends?" Juvia asked, a little dazed.

"Yeah, of course. Well, if you don't want to-"

"No!" Juvia cried suddenly and then covered her mouth in embarrassment. "I mean, I'd really like that."

Gray couldn't help but smile. She was…..rather cute.

"Um, Sir Fullbuster?"

"Gray."

"Huh?"

"If we're friends, then you have to call me Gray."

Juvia sighed in exasperation. "Okay, Gray- _sama_ ," She said mockingly. "Can you please put on a shirt?"

Gray cursed again as he began to scramble around for his shirt. Juvia laughed and picked up the aforementioned material and tossed it at him.

Buttoning up his shirt, Gray jumped out of bed and fruitlessly tried to make his clothes look like they hadn't been slept in.

"Juvia?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you take a look outside and see if there's anyone in the hallway?" Gray blushed. "I…don't want people to get the, uh, wrong idea."

Juvia blushed as well and nodded. Getting up, she quickly walked to the door and peered outside.

"No one's here," She whispered. "Now's your chance."

Gray slipped out of the room and gave her a smile that made her week at the knees. _Damnit, Juvia, get a hold of yourself!_ "See you around."

Juvia nodded again, finding herself unable to speak. Shutting the door, she leaned against it and drew in a deep breath.

What the hell had she gotten herself into?

" _We're sorry, Your Majesty. There's nothing we can do to save your daughter-"_

" _Nothing?! What do you mean, 'nothing'?"_

" _Please, calm down, Your Majesty!"_

" _Tell me what's happening to my daughter!"_

" _Princess Lucy was born with too much magic, Your Majesty. She will not survive her tenth birthday."_

" _And….you say nothing can be done?"_

" _Nothing, Your Majesty."_

Natsu knocked at the door that led to Zeref's office. Hearing no reply, he shrugged and pushed the door open.

There was no one inside. Natsu's footsteps as he entered, echoed through the room eerily.

The office was large and dark. Everything was done in either black or grey. The only flash of color in the room was a shimmering jade figurine of a dancing fairy on the mantelpiece.

Off to the side, there were two doors. One led to Zeref's bedroom and the other, to his personal library. Both were strictly off limits. Even Natsu wasn't allowed in there.

The library's door clicked open. Zeref emerged, shutting it behind him.

"Did I keep you waiting, Natsu?"

"Nah, you didn't. What was it that you wanted to talk about?"

Zeref watched him keenly, anticipating his reaction. "Your wedding ceremony with Juvia will be held in roughly two months."

Anger flickered across Natsu's face but all he said was, "Oh?"

"You're not happy about this," It was a statement, not a question.

"Well, duh. I barely even know her."

"This will be good for you, Natsu."

"Whatever." Natsu ground out. "Is that all?"

"Not quite," Zeref said, the ghost of a smile appearing on his features. "The cherry blossom trees are blooming today. You should take Lady Juvia to see them."

Natsu didn't reply. Spinning around, he walked out of the office, his jaw tightly clenched.

He never wanted to see cherry blossom trees again.

" _Layla, I need you to make me a promise."_

" _A promise?"_

" _Yes. I need you to promise that your daughter, and the rest of the Heartfilia monarchy will stay away from Natsu and I-especially Natsu."_

" _But why do you want to make such a strange pact?"_

" _Let me tell you about the prophecy…"_

 **(A/N): Funny story. So you remember how I said that I'm writing this in a notebook? Well, I happened to be writing in school, and just when I finished that Gruvia scene, you know, where Gray comforts Juvia after her nightmare, I put down the book and started talking to my friend. Another classmate of mine bent over the book and started to read it curiously. The page was turned right to that moment where Juvia 'fell asleep against Gray's chest'. The minute my classmate saw that, she gave me a strange look and muttered, "I never knew you wrote stuff like that."**

 **Naturally, I was wondering what the heck she was talking about that, so I took a look at the page and instantly realized just how incriminating that line looked.**

 **Needless to say, my face was the color of Erza's hair for the rest of the day…and my classmate and I couldn't look each other in the eye. :D**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys liked the first real Gruvia moment in this fic. I really enjoyed writing this chapter! There's a lot of foreshadowing, too.\**

 **In the next chapter, we get to know how Natsu and Lucy fell in love~ Stay tuned, guys!**

 _ **Next Time: Rainbow Cherry** **Blossoms**_

 **Oh, and _marie7730_ , I'm so glad that you like this story! Sorry about all the confusion. I'm updating (or trying) every day or every other day until further notice. **

**As of now, Secrets has up to 12 (really long) chapters. Hopefully, it will go up to 30-40 chapters. This is going to be a long ride, please stick with me, everyone!**

 **For every _20_ more reviews, you guys get a sneek peek of the next chapter.**

 **See you next time!**


	9. Rainbow Cherry Blossoms

**Chapter-7**

 **Rainbow Cherry Blossoms**

"Hey, Natsu," Lisanna bounced excitedly in her seat at breakfast. "Do you remember what day today is?"

Natsu turned pale. "Please don't tell me I forgot your birthday again."

"If you had, I would've already sent you to hell and back," Lisanna said calmly. "But no, that's not it. Guess again."

"The cherry blossom trees are blooming today!" Wendy Marvell, Natsu's cousin said enthusiastically.

Natsu's expression turned sour. "Oh. That."

Gray cleared his throat. "I suppose you girls want to have one of those picnics by the trees again?" At Lisanna's eager nod, he continued. "I'd better tell the servants to prepare for it, then."

"You won't have to," Natsu said flatly. "Because we're not going."

"What?!"

"Um, excuse me," Juvia said hesitantly. "What's so special about the cherry blossoms?"

"All the cherry blossom trees in Magnolia bloom on day of each year," Lisanna explained. "And at night, they turn rainbow colored. Every year, we," She indicated Natsu, Wendy, Gray and herself. "Have a picnic near the trees to celebrate. However," Lisanna glared at Natsu. "His Royal Highness seems to have different plans today."

Natsu crossed his arms childishly. "I'm the Prince, I can do whatever I want."

"Please, Natsu?" The Dragon Slayer in question froze as Wendy's large, shiny brown eyes met his. _Don't give in, don't give in, don't give in, don't-_ "I-I really want to see the cherry blossoms with everyone….."

Wendy's lip quivered just a little bit and Natsu gave in with a groan of defeat. "Fine, we'll go."

Lisanna hugged Wendy in delight, Happy grinned and Juvia smiled.

Gray leaned over and muttered in Natsu's ear, "You're a sucker, you know that?"

Natsu groaned again."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Lucy?" Levy asked fearfully. "Are you-are you alright?"

Lucy looked up from where she was trying to dress herself with a grimace that was meant to be a smile. "Of course-"

Levy winced as Lucy tripped over her feet and crashed to the floor.

"You should really get some rest," Levy sighed as she helped the blonde up.

"I'm fine," Lucy mumbled.

"No, you're not. You're seriously exhausted from the training session yesterday."

Lucy closed her eyes at the mention of the training. The day before, when Levy had taken her to Fairy Tail, after Lucy was filled in on the upcoming war and Fairy Tail's role in it, she had started training her magic in preparation for the battle that lay ahead.

Jellal had offered to help, since their powers were similar. He used Heavenly Body Magic, which utilized stars and planets, just like Celestial Magic. Erza, his fiancée, had tagged along and sparred with Lucy to see how far along in her abilities she was.

Lucy had been beaten in less than ten minutes…

The rest of the day was spent training in magic. Mavis presented Lucy with two zodiac gate keys that Fairy Tail had held in their possession for generations. They were Virgo the Maiden and Sagittarius the Archer.

"Get into bed _now_ ," Levy ordered. "You need to gain back your strength."

"But-"

"No buts. I'm sure the Prince won't mind if you take off for a day."

After the door had slammed behind Levy, Lucy rolled over in bed and studied the two gleaming keys she newly held. Now, she had 6 zodiac gate keys and 5 silver ones.

 _Capricorn suggested that I learn Caster Magic,_ Lucy thought drowsily. _But Star Dress is incredibly difficult….even Mother wasn't able to achieve it…._

Sighing, Lucy put the keys away and watched as a pink petal, carried by the wind, drifted past the window. A familiar dull ache formed in her chest.

 _The cherry blossom trees are blooming today…_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

At sunset; Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Lisanna and Juvia, armed with picnic baskets made their way across the castle grounds to where the cherry blossom trees were located.

When the huge trees came into view, Juvia's eyes widened in admiration. She had seen cherry blossoms before, but none like these.

"Told you they were a sight to see," Lisanna said smugly.

"Wait till you see them rainbow colored," Wendy put in.

"Let's eat already!" Gray complained.

Juvia and Lisanna exchanged glances and laughed. "Alright then. Help us set out the food, will you?"

As they gathered around the trees, laughing and talking, Natsu ignored them all and swung himself into the branches of the highest tree.

"Natsu!" Wendy called. "Come down and join us!"

Natsu looked away and scowled. Lisanna rolled her eyes.

"He's sulking, though goodness knows why. Leave him be, Wendy."

Wendy nodded and plopped down on the petal covered grass. Juvia held up a basket invitingly.

"Sandwiches, anyone?"

As the sun slowly set and the sky darkened, they finished eating everything and leaned back against the trunks of the trees, waiting for twilight to set in.

When night finally fell and the cherry blossoms turned rainbow colored, Juvia was speechless.

They were probably the most beautiful trees she had ever seen. Their rainbow light illuminated the castle grounds and made everything seem almost…..magical.

"Aren't they pretty?" Wendy asked rapturously.

Juvia nodded, her eyes shining. "They are."

Natsu stared sullenly at the cherry blossoms. If it had been up to him, they would've never come here. This place just brought back too many memories. Memories he'd rather forget, somehow.

It had been a year ago, on that same day…..

~~~ _Flashback~~~_

" _Natsu, where on earth are you taking me?"_

 _The Prince in question cackled gleefully. "Just wait and see."_

 _It was midnight and Lucy and Natsu were supposed to be sleeping and not up and about. However, here they were: Natsu was carefully leading Lucy across the castle grounds, one hand covering her eyes and the other gripping her shoulder._

" _If I fall and break my neck-" Lucy threatened._

" _Geez, do you have to be so morbid?"_

" _Ooh, big words."_

" _Shut up! Ah, here we are."_

 _Natsu uncovered her eyes. Lucy looked at the sight before her and took a step back in shock._

" _T-The cherry blossom trees," She gasped. "But why-"_

 _Natsu grinned bashfully. "You said you wanted to see them, so….."_

 _Lucy broke away from Natsu's hold and ran to the tallest tree, touching the trunk reverently. Natsu followed._

 _Finally tearing her eyes away, Lucy turned to Natsu and smiled, a beautiful, warm smile that always made his heart do these weird flips in his chest. "Thank you, Natsu. You don't know what this means to me."_

 _Natsu shifted uncomfortably. "You don't have to thank me. They're just some trees."_

 _Lucy shook her head. "No…..that's not it. You gave me friendship when I had no one…..even when you found out who I was, you didn't tell anyone, you protected me."_

" _Lucy-"_

" _I honestly don't know what I'd do without you," Lucy stepped forward and hugged him, burying her face in his chest. Her next words were muffled. "You re everything to me."_

 _Natsu swallowed. Hooking his fingers under Lucy's chin, he tilted her face upwards to look at him._

" _Natsu?"_

" _Luce, you're my best friend," Natsu met her confused gaze steadily. "But really, you're more than that."_

 _Before Lucy could respond, Natsu bent his head and kissed her lips._

 _Lucy froze in shock. She had definitely_ _ **not**_ _anticipated this._

 _The kiss was soft, hesitant and electrifying. Lucy felt weak at the knees and quickly tightened her hold on Natsu. Honestly, she couldn't understand what was going on or why Natsu had kissed her._

 _Natsu quickly pulled away and searched Lucy's shell-shocked face worriedly. "….Lucy?"_

 _Raising a shaking hand to her lips, Lucy spoke tremblingly. "Y-You kissed me," She mumbled. "Y-You just-" Her face became indignant. "How could you?!"_

 _Natsu's face fell and the hurt in his eyes shook Lucy to the core. "You mean-you don't-"_

" _I," Lucy growled. "Am Princess Lucy Heartfilia. You-you're Natsu Dragneel! The younger brother to_ _ **Zeref**_ _!" There's no way-"_

 _His expression became angry. "I see," Natsu ground out. "This is all about me being Zeref's brother, isn't it?! I thought better of you, Lucy. I thought you wouldn't judge."_

" _That's not-"_

" _It's fine," Natsu's voice was barely audible. "I understand-"_

 _Lucy snapped._

" _No, you don't!"_

 _Before Natsu could blink, Lucy caught him by the shoulders and shoved him hard enough that his back hit the trunk of the nearest tree. Natsu's first impulse was to wince from the impact, but that was forgotten when Lucy leaned up and slammed her lips against his in a fierce kiss._

 _Pulling away, Lucy glared at him, fire in her eyes, "Don't you see?" She whispered. "I love you-I love you-I love you. But we can't be together, Natsu."_

" _Yes, we can."_

" _No! Your brother is after my life! I'm supposed to hate you-you're supposed to be my worst enemy!" Lucy broke away from him and covered her face as the tears she had been holding in broke free. "It's all your fault," She sobbed. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. Why did you have to enter my life-why did you have to make me feel this way?! I-It's all your fault-"_

" _Lucy."_

 _Lucy backed away, refusing to look up. "I hate you-"_

" _No, you don't."_

" _Yes, I do! Stay away from me!"_

" _No." Natsu caught hold of her._

 _Lucy struggled fruitlessly. "Let me go!"_

" _No." Natsu wrapped his arms around her. Lucy drew in a deep, shuddering breath. She rested her head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat._

" _Let me stay with you," Natsu said quietly. "It doesn't matter who we are-but please, let's be together, Luce, even if it's only for a little while."_

 _Lucy closed her eyes. 'Please forgive me, Mother, Father.' She pleaded internally._

" _Okay."_

 _They remained there for the rest of the night until the dawn of a merciless new day washed over them._

 _~~~End of Flashback~~~_

"It's all over now," Natsu muttered dully.

Six months. They had had six, blissful, irreplaceable months together. They had lived in constant fear that they would be found out, that they would be torn apart. But it was worth it. Those few moments they had together had all been worth it.

It wasn't star crossed love or anything stupid like that. Natsu and Lucy had been meant to meet, they were meant to be together. But, circumstances kept them apart. Both of them had a sense of duty. Natsu, to Zeref and Lucy, to her dead parents.

Beautiful as they were, Natsu couldn't help but hate the cherry blossoms.

Because, they reminded him of what he wanted most and could never have.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Aren't you tired?"

Juvia blinked in surprise and raised an eyebrow at Gray. "No, why?"

"We've been out here for quite some time," Gray glanced at Lisanna and Wendy who were sprawled out on the petal covered ground, fast asleep. "Those two are out cold already."

Juvia smiled slightly. "I'm still wide awake. I slept really well last night, so…." She looked around at the picnic things that were still strewn about. "We should put these away."

"Hold on," Juvia stilled as Gray suddenly reached up and touched her head. "There are some petals in your hair."

"T-That's okay," Juvia jerked away and brushed the petals out of her hair herself. _Damnit! Why is my heart beating so fast?! I feel like it's about to burst out of my chest!_

Leaning back, Juvia gazed at the night sky, trying to clear her head.

" _See Juvia, those are the constellations! Mother taught me all about them! That one is….."_

Juvia massaged her forehead, wincing at the sudden, burning pain. "I think I'm losing my mind…"

" _I_ think that'd be pretty accurate," said Gray's amused voice.

Juvia glowered at him and he raised his hands in defense, laughing. "Sorry, sorry. But care to explain why you think you're going insane?"

"You won't understand, Sir Fullbuster."

"Fine, be that way. But call me Gray; how many times do I tell you?"

"Alright then, Gray- _sama_."

"Drop the 'sama'."

A smirk flitted over Juvia's face. "No, I think I like it."

Gray groaned. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"So I've been told."

They were quiet for a little bit, as Juvia busied herself with arranging everything."

"Listen, Juvia," Gray began. "About last night-"

Juvia stiffened. "What about it?" She asked defensively.

"I just wanted to ask if you're alright."

She relaxed slightly. "Why wouldn't Ju-I be?"

"It's pretty hard to recover from a panic attack."

"I'm fine." Juvia snapped. Gray sighed.

"You could at least let us help you."

"'Us'?"

"I'm sure Natsu could do something about Jose-"

" _No!_ " Juvia hissed. "Don't you dare! I won't have it!"

"Juvia-"

"I said, _no_."

Gray gave up. "Alright," He snapped. "But if that bastard lays a finger on you again, I'll kill him myself."

Juvia looked puzzled. "Why do you care?"

"Why?" Gray gave her a strange look. "Because I'm your friend, duh."

"You said you didn't trust me," Juvia pointed out.

He shrugged. "I'm a suspicious person by nature. Anyway, you may seem rather cold and hard at times, but I can tell that your heart is kind."

 _You're wrong,_ Juvia wanted to tell him. _I'm not kind. I'm a heartless creature. I've murdered many people without second thoughts. I'm a_ _ **monster**_ _._

"Juvia?" Gray waved a hand in front of her face. "Are you okay? You kinda spaced out for a minute there.

Juvia pushed his hand away, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks. "I'm fine," she muttered, a scowl on her face.

"Grumpy, much?" Gray quipped.

Juvia glared at him for what seemed the hundredth time that day. Her anger vanished as she remembered something that had been bugging her for a while now.

"Gray-sama?" She asked curiously, ignoring his grumbled 'don't call me that'. "How come Prince Natsu had a bodyguard?"

At his raised eyebrow, she hastened to explain. "I mean-I haven't actually seen him in action, but I know he's a powerful mage. So I was wondering why he even _has_ a bodyguard."

Gray chuckled. "Emperor Zeref is incredibly protective over Natsu. Not that he actually doubts Natsu's strength-but he doesn't want to risk Natsu getting hurt. The first time Zeref suggested it, well, him and Natsu had a battle royal over it. Needless to say, Zeref won. Don't let his harmless façade fool you-he's cunning and a genius when it comes to manipulation."

Juvia agreed silently. She wasn't one to get scared easily, but something about Zeref simply terrified her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but-his very presence alone made her feel cold all over.

 _And he's going to be my brother-in-law_ , she thought wryly.

"If you're done gossiping 'bout me," Natsu's voice spoke irritatedly above them. "We should get back to the castle."

After waking up Wendy and Lisanna, the group headed back.

Natsu walked before them, his stance rigid and his features hard. Juvia, Lisanna and Wendy walked behind him. The latter two of the girls engaged in pleasant conversation, doing their best to include Juvia, who looked rather uncomfortable. Gray lingered behind them, deep in thought.

Firstly, he noticed that Juvia was very pretty. Now, Gray wasn't oblivious like Natsu, far from it. But in the beginning, he had been far too suspicious of Juvia to actually notice her appearance.

Long, silky, ocean-blue hair that fell in soft waves to her shoulders. Normally, she had it pulled up in a high ponytail or an elegant bun; but yesterday, her hair had escaped its updo while she was sleeping and-Juvia had looked so _damn beautiful_ with it all messy like that.

Her skin was as pale as they came and her eyes, almond shaped and navy blue looked too big for her face, but Gray found it oddly endearing, in a way.

Secondly, Gray knew that Juvia was supposed to be a lady, but at times, it seemed to him as if she were only playing a role. She didn't look very comfortable in her long and elegant dresses, and although she walked with poise and grace, it didn't seem like something that had been instilled in her since childhood; but as if it was something she was just getting used to.

Thirdly, she was strong. Freakishly so. The way she had beaten in him in only a few minutes-only Erza had ever done that. Gray had never seen anyone manipulate water the way she did. Granted, he had been distracted by her Water Body, but the fact that no physical attack could harm her was mind boggling.

Juvia Lockser was a mystery, Gray decided.

One he was determined to solve.

 **(A/N): This was mostly filler, but now we get to know how Lucy and Natsu fell in love~**

 _ **Next Time: Various Encounters**_


	10. Various Encounters

**Chapter-8**

 **Various Encounters**

The Fairy Tail headquarters was merely a place for the guild members to meet and discuss plans. However, on the second floor; there were a number of guest rooms for those who did regular work for Fairy Tail and couldn't afford to leave headquarters often.

Jellal and Erza didn't live in the building, but they did stay there often. Tonight was one of those nights.

Erza stepped out of the shower attached to the room she and Jellal shared. Instead of her usual armor, she was clad in a simple silk nightgown. It had been a long day and she was dying to get into bed and have a good night's rest.

Jellal was sitting in an armchair beside the bed, his head bent over a stack of parchment resting in his lap.

"What are you looking at, Jellal?" Erza enquired, making her way over to him.

"Just some files I took from the Council," Jellal replied, looking up. "Master Mavis requested me to get all the records I could on the war. This one's useless, though. I'll have to get the more detailed ones. Unfortunately, those are protected with top notch security. I'll need Warren's help with it, he knows more about the technical part of things."

"I see."

"And what about you? You were given a mission as well, right?"

"Yes-to take down the dark guild Eisenwald. Mira and I are going to do it together."

"My, the two of you? I almost pity the members of that guild."

"Really?" Erza asked dryly. "So why is there a smirk on your face."

Jellal chuckled. "Guilty as charged. Erza?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of the Princess?"

Erza sobered at once. "To be honest," she admitted. "She's got me a little freaked out."

Jellal raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well, for starters-she wasn't as ….. _revengeful_ as I thought she'd be."

"Revengeful?"

"Yes," Erza nodded. "Think about it. The Princess-she lost her family, friends and kingdom, all in a few days. She's been forced into hiding and had to work in the castle as a servant. And to top it all off, the man who was responsible for her parents' death is after her life. You would expect her to be bitter and revengeful, wouldn't you?"

"Yes….."

"Yet, she was quite cheerful. A little wary of us, but that's to be expected. When Zeref was mentioned, she wasn't bitter at all, only somewhat resentful, don't you think?"

Jellal nodded. "I had the same observations. As expected, your views are similar to mine, Erza."

"I don't know what to make of her," Erza confessed. "I also feel as if she's hiding something, but I don't think it's anything particularly harmful."

"Did you also notice that she never mentioned the Prince?"

"Natsu?" Erza asked, confused. "Why would she need to talk about him?"

"Being Zeref's brother, he is a key element in this war," Jellal told her. "He is also a highly talented wizard and if he did fight on Zeref's side, he could take out a lot of our forces."

Erza shrugged. "Lucy probably knows that a lot of us in Fairy Tail are good friends with Natsu. She might not want to unintentionally hurt us."

"Hm," Jellal murmured. "I feel that there's more than what meets the eye, though."

Erza smiled. "I'm sure it will all come to light soon. I'm going to bed, Jellal. Don't stay up too late."

She stopped by his chair and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Goodnight, Erza."

"Goodnight, Jellal."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Levy sighed loudly when she entered the servant's quarters and found Lucy sitting cross-legged on the floor, deep in meditation.

"Lu-chan, I _told_ you to take it easy," She scolded, flopping down on the bed in exhaustion.

Lucy opened her eyes and grinned brightly at Levy. "Sorry," She apologized, getting up. "But harnessing my magic power is so much fun! Jellal's really a good teacher. I feel stronger than I ever have before!"

Levy couldn't help but smile. It was good to see her so excited about something for a change. She had been moping around for the past week, it was good to see her coming into her element.

"Well, go to sleep now," Levy yawned. "You should get all the rest you can….."

Not bothering to wait for a reply, Levy crawled under the sheets and was asleep in a few minutes.

Lucy watched her cautiously for a few minutes. After ensuring that Levy was really asleep, Lucy quietly left the room.

She wasn't tired, not in the slightest. After having slept the day away, Lucy felt active, restless and was bursting with energy. She was most definitely _not_ inclined to sleep.

Lucy's thoughts began to wander. Fairy Tail. They were good people-if a little insane. Powerful, too. Lucy shuddered slightly upon remembering her spar with Erza-if it could even be called that. The Requip Mage had wiped the floor with her.

The guild exuberated a kind of warmth. Lucy smiled slightly when she thought of it. It was warmth she had only felt with her parents, in her home. Even with that nameless girl, who had saved her life. That girl whom Lucy desperately wanted to find, so she could thank her, and maybe they could be friends again, just as they were back then.

Master Mavis was lovely, too-though she unnerved Lucy somewhat. Her jade green eyes were sharp and piercing and made a person feel as if she were reading their mind.

Lucy briefly wondered what it was that Zeref wanted from Fairy Tail. Mavis hadn't elaborated, and Lucy got the impression that the other members didn't know, either.

 _Maybe it's some kind of powerful weapon,_ Lucy mused. _Or something containing a good deal of magical power? Whatever it is, I won't let Zeref get his hands on it._ Her eyes flashed, a fiery light kindling within them. _I swear it._

"Lucy? What are you doing here?"

Lucy came to an abrupt stop as she nearly ran smack into Gray, who had just come around the corner. Her eyes darted around frantically-yes, this _was_ the floor on which Natsu's room was. She cursed herself for coming here-it had been purely out of habit.

"Erm, ah-" Lucy stammered. "I couldn't sleep…..?"

Gray rolled his eyes, "I feel like everyone is saying that these days…..what is this, Camp Insomnia?"

Lucy blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind. Were you going to see Natsu?"

Lucy turned crimson. "W-What?!" She sputtered. " _No!_ "

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I just came here out of habit…."

"Right…"

"It's true!"

"Alright, keep your hair on," Gray took a step back when Lucy glared at him threateningly. "Shall I walk you back to your room?"

Before Lucy could reply, Juvia room door opened and the water mage stuck her head out. "Gray-sama, do you know where-"

She stopped abruptly upon seeing Lucy. Lucy felt herself freeze up as she looked into Juvia's eyes.

 _Uh oh,_ Gray thought nervously. _I hope Lucy doesn't do something she'll regret…._

Suddenly, Juvia staggered back against the doorframe, clutching at her forehead. Gray stepped forward with a cry of alarm. Lucy was rooted in her spot, unsure of what to do.

"Hey, are you alright?" Gray demanded, clutching hold of Juvia's shoulders. "Answer me, Juvia!"

"H-Headache-" Juvia choked out. Gray's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. This was no normal _headache_!

"W-Where's the Healer's office?" Juvia managed.

"It's-"

Natsu's door flew open. "Damnit, Gray!" He grumbled. "Quit making all that racket! Some of us are trying to sleep- _oh_." His eyes landed on Lucy. Gray began to panic internally.

 _Holy mother of-this is_ _ **bad**_ **.** _I need to get Juvia away RIGHT NOW before Natsu says something. I doubt he even_ _ **noticed**_ _Juvia._

"I'll take you to the Healer's office," Gray said hastily. Before Juvia could argue, he dragged her down the corridor.

Natsu and Lucy were left staring at each other blankly.

Then, he spoke.

"That friend of yours, Levy-she said you weren't well," Natsu scanned her for any visible injuries. "Are you alright now?"

Lucy nodded uneasily. "Yes," She said stiffly. "I-I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Don't be," Natsu suddenly took a step back and frowned. "Lucy….were you using magic? Your magical aura is stronger."

She laughed a little nervously. "Ah-I've been practicing lately."

Natsu narrowed his eyes. "Don't lie to me, Lucy," The dots connected in his head. "Wait, that's why you didn't come today, you were magically exhausted. Damnit, Lucy, don't be so reckless like that!"

"Like you're one to talk," Lucy muttered.

"This is serious-"

"I know!" Lucy snapped. "But there's a war coming up and damnit, I can't afford to be weak!"

They glared at each other for a few minutes. Natsu was the first to relent.

"I'm sorry for shouting at you," He mumbled.

"I'm sorry, too," Lucy said quietly.

Silence reigned.

"…..hey, Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"Why does Lady Juvia call Gray 'Gray-sama'?"

"….I honestly have no idea."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Juvia perched on a bed in the infirmary, sipping on a potion the Healer had given her. Gray sat across from her, a concerned look on his face.

"The potion should relieve the pain fairly quickly, Lady Juvia," The Healer said. "If the pain persists, please report back to me."

"Thank you," Juvia said cordially. The man bowed and disappeared into a little back door.

"How are you feeling?" Gray asked.

"Perfectly fine," Juvia replied airily.

"Are you sure?"

Juvia gave him a pseudo-innocent look as she set down her goblet. "Would I lie to you?"

"Yes," Gray said flatly.

Juvia shook her head with a sigh. "Let's continue this outside, okay?"

On the way back, Gray asked, "Have you ever gotten a…..headache like this before?"

 _Yes_. "No," Juvia said calmly. "First time."

Gray seemed to accept this. "Are you feeling feverish or anything?"

"Are you a Healer, now?" Juvia teased.

With an aggravated sigh, Gray stopped walking, grabbed Juvia by the shoulders and forced her to look at him.

"G-Gray-sama?" Juvia stammered and then stiffened when he rested his forehead against hers.

"Okay, no fever," Gray announced, letting go of her shoulders.

"I-Is that what you were doing?" Juvia squeaked, her voice strangely high-pitched.

"Yeah. What did _you_ think I was doing?"

Juvia quickly turned her flaming face away, refusing to acknowledge that, for a moment there, she had thought he was going to _kiss_ her. "Never mind," She muttered.

Gray gave her a quizzical look but dismissed it as they came to a stop in front of Juvia's room. "Here we are. Goodnight, Juvia."

"Goodnight, Gray-sama."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

In Natsu's room, Lucy leaned against the wall, studying the floor as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Natsu sat on his desk, absently swinging his legs.

He had dragged her into the room in case someone walked by and saw them. Now, there a heavy silence as neither knew what to say after their argument.

"So…." Natsu began awkwardly. "What'd you do yesterday for your day off?"

The minute he asked it, Natsu wished he had thought of a better question. He _knew_ what Lucy did on her day offs, she normally trained or simply relaxed; since she worked 24/7 with no breaks in the castle.

Lucy hesitated, wondering if she should tell him. She was certain that Natsu would never betray her trust-he had proved it multiple times already. She trusted him more than anyone else in the world.

She took a deep breath. "I went to Fairy Tail."

Natsu nearly fell off his desk.

"WHAT?!"

"Do you want the whole castle to hear you?" Lucy asked dryly, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Sorry….." Natsu said sheepishly. "But… _Fairy Tail_?"

"Is it really that surprising?" Lucy shrugged. "They _are_ on my side, after all."

"Are you joined the rebellion?" At Lucy's raised eyebrow, Natsu chuckled humorlessly. "Come on, Lucy. I'm Zeref's brother, remember? I know as much about the upcoming war as you do."

"You'll fight on Zeref's side, won't you?" Lucy asked softly.

Natsu stuck his hands in his pockets. "Dunno," He said casually. "Maybe I'll be neutral."

Lucy snorted. "This is _war_ , Natsu," She emphasized. "And you're a key element. You can't stay neutral."

"Guess I'll decide when the time comes, then." Natsu declared.

"There's not much time left. Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I'll survive this war."

Natsu's eyes snapped up to meet hers, wide and panicked. Lucy laughed bitterly.

"There's no need to look like that, Natsu. I-I've barely received any training as a mage. There are only a few months left. Maybe more, if I'm lucky. I've always had the _worst_ luck-"

Natsu strode over to her, his eyes dark and angry. "Shut up." He growled.

"Natsu-"

"You are going to _live_ ," Natsu interrupted her. "You _will_ have a future. And you'll be happy, and-I won't let anyone take that away from you!"

"Sometime, there isn't a choice," Lucy whispered. "Fate-"

"Then I'll burn fate into a pile of ashes," Natsu snarled. "I won't let you die!"

He took her hand-it was the one with the Fairy Tail mark on it, Lucy realized belatedly, though he couldn't see the pink emblem. "Promise me that you'll live, Lucy."

"….I promise," Lucy murmured.

Natsu grinned. "Good! Celestial Wizards don't break their promises, do they?"

"No," Lucy smiled shakily. "They don't."

He kissed her. And this time, she didn't pull away.

 **(A/N):** _ **Next Chapter: Training.**_

 **See you all soon!**


	11. Training

**Chapter-9**

 **Training**

At dawn, Natsu sat on the couch in his room, wide awake.

He glanced over at the bed. Lucy was lying on it, tucked securely beneath the covers. Happy was fast asleep on the foot of the bed. Lucy had fallen asleep there last night and Natsu had slept on the couch. The bed was big enough for the both of them (and Happy), but Natsu knew he'd be met with a kick to the face if he'd crawled in with her.

She looked so peaceful, Natsu thought. Her face was free with worry and she seemed like a normal girl, unburdened with the weight of the world (literally) on her shoulders.

If only it could always be like this

There was a knock at the door. "Natsu!" Gray's voice called. "I'm coming in!"

Panicking, Natsu flew to the door and locked it, just as Lucy sleepily opened her eyes.

"What's going on?" She mumbled drowsily.

"You need to get out of here," Natsu hissed. "Now. Happy!"

The blue exceed woke up with a start. Taking one look at a frazzled Natsu and a sleepy Lucy, he knew what he had to do.

"I'll take care of it," Happy assured Natsu. Summoning his wings, he grabbed hold of Lucy and flew her out of the window.

Sighing loudly in relief, Natsu opened the door. "What do you want, Ice Princess?" He demanded rudely.

"Good morning to you, too," Gray replied sardonically. "I always wake you up at this time, remember?"

"Whatever," Natsu grumbled.

"Flame Brain, you look like a damn mess."

"Shut up!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Happy dropped Lucy onto a little ledge above her window. "Is this okay, Lucy?"

Lucy nodded. "Thank you, Happy." The little cat was the only one who knew about Natsu and Lucy's….relationship. He teased them a lot, but never revealed their secret. This wasn't first time Lucy had fallen asleep in Natsu's room and Happy had to carry her out, far from it.

"I'll be off, then," Happy said. "See ya later, Lucy!"

Lucy waved as he disappeared out of sight. Then, with practiced ease, she swung herself out of the window…..

….only to be confronted with an angry Levy.

Levy was leaning against the closed door. There was a scowl on her face and dark circles under her eyes.

"Hello, Lucy," She said in a fake sweet voice. Sweating, Lucy wondered if it was too late to call Happy back and have him fly her somewhere far, far away.

"Imagine my surprise," Levy continued in the same sweet tone. "When I woke up in the middle of the night, only to find you gone from your bed."

"Erm…" Lucy mumbled, desperately trying to come up with a plausible story. "I…..couldn't sleep, so I just took a walk around the castle and fell asleep in the grounds…..?"

Levy seemed to buy this. Sighing, she ran a hand through her already messy hair. "Don't worry me like that," She murmured, her voice weary. "It scared me half to death, waking up and finding your bed empty. I thought you had been kidnapped or something."

"Sorry." Lucy looked down guiltily.

"Don't worry about it. Get freshened up, will you? We're going to Fairy Tail."

This caught Lucy's attention. " _What?!_ Levy, it's not our day off, remember."

"I know," Levy said cheerfully. "Good thing neither of us have important jobs, right? We won't even be missed."

"Speak for yourself! I serve the _Prince_!"

Levy waved her concerns away. "I'll get some other maid to fill in for you," She said dismissively. "Goodness knows they'd be _ecstatic_."

Lucy sweatdropped. As much as she hated to admit it, Levy was right. Ever since Lucy had started serving Natsu, she had literally become a pariah among the servants. All the maids wanted to serve their 'drop dead gorgeous' Prince.

The Celestial Mage rolled her eyes at the thought. Natsu was hers and hers alone, she thought possessively. Those maids were wasting their time.

"Fine. Give me a minute to change, will you?"

"Will do!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Natsu," Gray deadpanned. "It's cloudy. And it's raining. Well, about to, in any case. _And,_ I'm tired. Let's go back inside."

"I want to train," Natsu shot back aggressively. "So come out here and quit whining or I swear to God I'll have Zeref execute you."

Gray raised an eyebrow. "You know this is, like, the 117456th time you've made that threat, right?" He said drily. "Do you really expect me to take you seriously now?"

"…shut up."

They were in the training grounds, facing off against each other. The sky above them was dark and gloomy, not a hint of sun to be seen. And Juvia, Lisanna and Wendy were in the stands, watching them.

"Hey, Natsu!" Lisanna called cheerfully, a devious glint in her eye. "After you're done with Gray, I'll fight you!"

"Sure, bring it on!"

"What magic do you use, Lisanna-san?" Juvia asked curiously.

"Takeover magic," Lisanna told her. "To be more specific, Animal Soul. What about you?"

"J-I use Water Magic," Juvia eyed Natsu and Gray, who were attacking each other like a pair of rabid dogs, fire and ice clashing. "Is this…normal?"

Wendy giggled. "Yes. Natsu and Gray never pass up the chance to fight each other, even though they're brothers in all but blood."

"…..I see."

Rolling her eyes, Lisanna picked up a rock and flung it at them. It struck Natsu squarely on the head.

"What the hell, Lisanna?!" He yelled, indignantly. Gray burst into laughter.

"If you're going to spar, at least do it properly," Lisanna threw another rock at Gray. "And that goes for you too, Mr. Bodyguard."

"How long have you know the Prince, Lisanna-san?" Juvia asked, pointedly ignoring Natsu and Gray's dramatic groans over being injured by a 'sadistic female'.

The last comment earned them _both_ rocks to the face.

"Oh, we've known each other since we were toddlers," Lisanna said cheerily. "I remember, I even asked Natsu to marry me once, when we were kids!"

Gray choked. "You asked him to _marry you_?!" He said in disbelief. "Were you _temporarily retarded_ or something?!"

"You're the one who's retarded!" Natsu shot back. "I mean," He continued, dramatically striking a pose while gesturing to himself. "Any girl would be lucky to have _this_."

Gray rolled his eyes and Wendy and Lisanna burst into hysterical laughter. Juvia fought back a smile with some difficulty. Gray caught the subtle motion and frowned.

"Well, I did realize I was wrong, later," Lisanna concluded after recovering. "That is, after I found the love of my life in someone else."

Natsu's jaw dropped. "Who?! And why haven't I heard about this?"

Lisanna gave him a coy smirk. "A lady doesn't kiss and tell."

"Seriously?" Natsu complained.

"Indeed."

Thunder rumbled overhead.

"It's going to start pouring any moment now," Wendy observed. "We should get inside."

"Right," Lisanna said quickly. "Let's go inside, Wens!" Before Wendy could protest, caught hold of her arm and dragged her away.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Natsu charged after them.

"We should go, too," Juvia said presently. "We have exactly…three minutes before it starts raining."

"That was suspiciously accurate." Gray remarked.

Juvia smiled sweetly at him. "Ju-I'm a Water Mage. Weather is my specialty."

"You mean you can make it rain and stuff?"

"Well, not exactly. It has more to do with J-my emotions than anything else."

Gray chuckled. "I see."

"Now then, shall we go inside?"

He gave her a mock bow. "After you, milady."

As they walked through the entrance, side by side, Juvia realized with a start that the way they spoke was suspiciously reminiscent of… _flirting_.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Again!"

Lucy sat up with great effort, grabbing the weapon that had fallen from her hand. Dust and leaves clung to her dress and smeared her arms. Her knees and legs were bruised from the intense lesson in combat Erza was giving her.

"You're a natural with the whip, Lucy," Erza lectured. "But you need to build up on your physical strength. Also, don't hesitate before attacking me, I'll be fine. If I were an enemy, you'd be dead within seconds."

Shivering, Lucy thanked the heavens for the millionth time that Erza was on their side.

Narrowing her eyes in concentration, Lucy stood up, curling her fingers tightly around the handle of her whip, until her knuckles turned white.

Bending her knees backward, Lucy crouched to the ground for a split second before launching herself into air. Nailing Erza's shoulder with a flying kick, Lucy flicked her whip, catching the redhead's wrist neatly with it. If it hadn't been for her quick reflexes, Erza would have come crashing down into the mud.

"Impressive," Erza smiled as Lucy unwound her whip. She rubbed her shoulder, wincing slightly. "I thing you might've bruised me."

Lucy grimaced. "Sorry! I tend to go overboard during these kind of things…"

She sweatdropped, thinking of all the times she had kicked Natsu. The dragon slayer had always moaned and groaned about having bruises for weeks afterward. Well, it wasn't like he hadn't deserved them. Lucy smiled softly at the thought.

"You're doing it again," Erza commented.

Lucy blinked, snapping out of her reverie. "What?"

"There's a fond smile on your face," Erza said, a knowing glint in her eye. "As if…..you're thinking about something that makes you happy, more than anything."

Lucy's face turned crimson. _Am I really that transparent?_ She wondered silently. _Are my feelings for him so evident? No, I can't afford to let them be. If anyone finds out about Natsu and I, we'll be dead-in more ways than one._

She closed her eyes. _Why is it that all the time, my thoughts go directly to you, Natsu? It's like you've jumped into my heart-and you're determined to stay there for all of eternity._

Fortunately, Lucy was spared the embarrassment of answering Erza as Jellal came up to them.

"Erza, how about we postpone combat training till later?" He asked with a gentle smile. "Lucy and I should get on with the magical training first."

Lucy stared at him in disbelief, her mouth open. _Magical training?!_ She screeched inwardly. _Magical training?! I won't even be able to walk after that, let alone engage in combat! Damnit Jellal, what are you thinking?!_

"Sure," Erza shrugged. "Go ahead."

She stepped to the side and watched curiously as Jellal went up to Lucy. There was a sheaf of parchment in his hand.

"Let's see how far you've gotten with your mediation."

Lucy nodded. Finding a patch of grass, she sat down cross-legged and cleared her mind.

Seconds ticked by. A gentle breeze that slowly became stronger rose up around her. Dirt, leaves and twigs got blown away.

Golden spirals of celestial magic in its raw form spiraled up towards the heavens. Lucy's body glowed with an eerie, unearthly silver light.

"Stop," Jellal said quickly. On a dark, gloomy day like this one, the light could be seen for miles to come. Jellal didn't want any curious townspeople investigating. They _were_ in the East Forest, after all.

The light dulled and Lucy's eyes shot open. They were shining brightly, like the stars she drew her power from.

"How'd I do?" She asked excitedly.

"Very well," Jellal said, smiling at her enthusiasm. "I'm impressed at the amount of magic power you're able to release, Lucy. Have you always been able to do it?"

Lucy frowned a little. "Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"I'm just curious. Tell me, when were you able to summon your first spirit?"

Erza frowned. _What are you doing, Jellal?_

Lucy scrunched up her brow in thought. "Hmmm…..it was when I was five years old. Yeah, that's about it. Aquarius was the one I summoned." Lucy smiled fondly. "I mistakenly called her a siren, and man, did she yell at me."

Jellal's eyebrow's shot up into his hairline. "You summoned a _zodiac_ spirit when you were _five_ years old?"

"Um, yes. Is that a problem?"

Erza and Jellal shared a glance. "Lucy," The Heavenly Body Mage began cautiously. "If you don't mind, could you tell us the events of the war? Whatever you remember, that is."

Lucy looked down at the ground and fidgeted with the hem of her dress. "Well, for starters, I remember my parents dying."

Erza flinched at the dullness in her voice. _Jellal!_ She hissed inwardly. _Don't go making her drag up horrific memories!_

"I really don't remember much," Lucy went on. "Just bits of the battle, here and there…..I remember that it was midnight-and I also remember a girl, who led me to safety."

Jellal's interest was sparked. "A girl?"

Lucy nodded. "She was my age, I think-but I can't remember her face or name. I wish I could," She concluded wistfully. "So I could find her and thank her."

"What happened after the war?" Jellal prompted gently.

Lucy closed her eyes.

 _~~~Flashback~~~_

 _A 10 year old Lucy opened her eyes groggily. Her head felt as if it had been split open by a huge hammer and the rest of her body ached terribly. She was lying on something hard and stone cold. Her mind felt fuzzy and hazy. She couldn't think or remember anything._

" _Looks like you're finally awake, brat."_

 _Lucy instantly shot up with a cry, recognizing the familiar voice. "A-Aquarius?" She croaked. "W-What are you doing here?"_

 _The mermaid spirit scoffed in disdain. "Who d'you think has been protecting you for all this time, huh?"_

" _Protecting me?" Lucy looked around, confused. She realized that they were in the ruins of what used to be someone's house. Noticing the dead bodies of some nasty looking demons, Lucy flinched and edged away. "Protecting me from what?"_

" _There was a war!" Aquarius snapped."People were after your damn life! Do you seriously not remember that?!"_

" _A war?" Lucy mumbled and looked around again. "W-Where's Mama and Papa?!" She whimpered._

 _Aquarius' eyes widened in shock and sympathy. "Amnesia?" She muttered incredulously. "You have got to be kidding me."_

 _She wrapped her arms around the little girl, who was now sobbing hysterically. Ribbons of golden light surrounded them and they were gone._

 _~~~End of Flashback~~~_

"After that, Aquarius took me to the Celestial Spirit World," Lucy concluded. "I stayed there for two days; which equals to six months in our world, before returning."

Erza's curiosity was piqued. "Why did you not stay there?" She asked. "Surely it was safer for you there."

Lucy shook her head ruefully. "I could have," She admitted. "But the Spirit World simply isn't meant for humans. Besides, I wanted to regain my lost memories. And I just couldn't leave and live peacefully while the country was plunged into chaos. It wouldn't be right."

"And then you got a place in the castle as a servant."

"Yes. Ironic as it is, at that time, the castle was the only place safe for me."

As Lucy finished speaking, it began to rain.

"We should go inside," Erza said, helping Lucy up.

"Right," Jellal nodded. "By the way, Lucy, there's a spell I'd like to teach you. I was planning on saving it for later, but I think you're ready."

"A spell?"

"Yes. It's called Urano Metria…"

 **(A/N): Sorry for the wait, guys! I'm FINALLY done with this chapter. Sorry that there's not much Gruvia in this one. For the next few chapters, I'll be wrapping up stuff with the NaLu part and then we can kickstart the Gruvia moments, yay~!**

 **To** _ **Snavej,**_ **if you think this is sad, wait till you read the next few chapters.**

 _ **Samiraahmed**_ **, we'll have to wait a bit for that. Lucy will be getting back her memories soon, but Juvia will only get hers after quite some time. There** _ **will**_ **be some animosity between the two (mostly on Lucy's side) for obvious reasons.**

 **Also, everyone, now that school has started for me, you guys will have to wait till the weekends for updates. Sorry for the inconvenience.**

 _ **Next Time: Prophecy**_

 **Thank you all for** _ **20**_ **reviews! As promised, here is your sneak peek:**

 _ **Laughter bubbling up in her chest, Mavis began to run, uncaring of her destination, or of the weather, or of anything, really. It had been so long since she had felt so carefree and childlike, doing anything she pleased.**_

 _ **Suddenly, Mavis abruptly came to a stop, her jade eyes widening as the smile slipped from her face. Her hands came down, to hang limply at her sides.**_

 _ **It had been a while since they had met, of course. His face was paler than she remembered and there was an unfamiliar red tinge to his dark eyes. His clothes were….fancier than before and a golden circlet rested on his head. But there was no mistaking him, or the small, amused smile he wore.**_

 _ **It was Zeref.**_


	12. Prophecy

**Chapter-10**

 **Prophecy**

"So…." Natsu began, looking around at the group gathered in his room. "Why are you all here, again?"

Lisanna sighed. "Gray, punch him."

The Ice Wizard obeyed gleefully. Natsu winced, rubbing his sore jaw. He glowered at them.

"I was just asking a question!" He whined.

"A question you've asked about a million times already," Lisanna muttered, sifting through the papers on Natsu's desk. "It's raining and your room is the most luxurious one in the castle, barring Zeref's," She held up a legal document with Natsu's seal on it. "Wow, you do paperwork?"

"Those are classified," Natsu said, them from her. "And yeah, Zeref's been making me do it for the past month or so."

Gray grinned. "You should've seen the look on Natsu's face when Zeref handed him all those papers. It was classic."

"Took me _weeks_ to get through them," Natsu grumbled.

"Only because you have the attention span of a five year old child."

"Hey!"

Juvia looked longingly at the papers Natsu was putting away in a folder. _I'll try and get my hands on them,_ She thought. _Natsu-san isn't the most secretive person in the world, so it should be easy. I'm sure to get back in Master Jose's good graces if I give him access to legal documents like these._

"Your desk is so messy-hey, what's this?" Lisanna picked up a white box that was hidden under the papers. Ignoring Natsu's protests, she opened it.

Inside, lay a pair of beautifully crafted sapphire blue star shaped earrings.

"They look so beautiful," Wendy commented in appreciation.

"Who are they for, Natsu?" Lisanna asked curiously. "They must've been expensive."

Natsu snatched the box away. "They're for a friend," He said shortly.

 _I wonder when he bought them,_ Gray thought, amused. _I'm with him 24/7, but I've never witnessed him buying any jewellery. Guess Natsu's sneakier than we thought._

 _The gift is probably for that servant girl,_ Juvia thought indifferently. _Natsu-san must love her very much, to give her such expensive ornaments._

"Heh…..I see," Lisanna grinned slyly. "Natsu, you're in love with someone, aren't you?"

Natsu choked and Wendy blushed on his behalf. "W-What the hell are you talkin' about?!"

"Well, jewellery is usually meant for romantic gifts-"

"No-!"

"C'mon, admit it~"

"I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH ANYBODY!"

At that moment, the door opened and Zeref entered. "Who's not in love with anybody?"

"Zeref?" Natsu blinked. "Why are you here?"

"I'm leaving for a bit," Zeref replied. "I thought I'd inform you first. But what's this about falling in love with somebody? My, you're growing up so fast-"

"GET OUT, DAMNIT!"

As Zeref closed the door behind him, chuckling, Juvia realized something.

 _It's raining, so why does Zeref-sama want to leave the castle?_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Master Mavis, you have to eat something."

"Later, Mira."

Mirajane sighed. Mavis had been cooped up at her desk all day, devising battle strategies without stopping to eat or rest and frankly, Mira was sick of it.

It wasn't like she _didn't_ want Mavis to strategize and plan for them, far from it. It was thanks to her that they actually found Lucy, after all. But Mira didn't want Mavis' health failing simply because she forgot to take care of herself.

Sighing again, Mira snatched Mavis' pen away.

"Mira!"

"You need to take care of your body, First Master," Mira scolded. She cleared away the papers and set down a plate of steamed vegetables and meat before the blonde. "Now, I'm not giving you back your papers unless you finish every last morsel on your plate, understand?"

Mavis pouted, but complied. "Yes, Mira." She said reluctantly and dug into the meal, feeling her stomach rumbled. She really _was_ hungry.

The Entrance Circle glowed and Laxus Dreyar, Master Makarov's grandson appeared, looking grumpy as he shook water from his long coat.

"Oh my," Mira exclaimed. "You're absolutely soaked. Let me get you a towel." She disappeared behind the bar.

"It's pouring cats and dogs out there," Laxus growled, tossing his coat over a chain as Mirajane came back with a towel.

"Any news on the Master?" Mira asked. Mavis paused mid bite and put her fork down.

The entire guild became silent (for once) as they awaited Laxus' answer.

A grin broke out on the Lightning Dragon Slayer's face. "Good news, guys. The old man's coming back."

As the guild erupted into cheers, Mavis smiled thankfully, tears springing to her eyes in relief. "Thank goodness," She murmured.

Pushing her empty plate away, Mavis made her way through the chaos to the Entrance Circle and disappeared.

Arriving in the East Forest was like a breath of fresh air (literally). Mavis was instantly soaked in seconds as the rain pelted down on her petite form. Her normally billowy robes clung to her slender frame and her damp golden curls were matted to her face.

Laughter bubbling up in her chest, Mavis began to run, uncaring of her destination, or of the weather, or of _anything_ , really. It had been so long since she had felt this carefree and child-like, doing anything she pleased and going anywhere she wanted

Stung by the wind, her cheeks turned a brilliant crimson as she spun around in a wide arc. Mavis felt giddy and exhilarated from the rain and the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Suddenly, Mavis abruptly came to a stop, her jade eyes widening as the smile slipped from her face. Her hands came down, to hang limply at her sides.

It had been a while since they had met, of course. His face was paler than she remembered and there was an unfamiliar red tinge to his dark eyes. His clothes were….fancier than before and a golden circlet rested on his head. But there was no mistaking _him_ , or the small, amused smile _he_ wore.

It was Zeref.

"Well, well, well….." Zeref drawled. "What a….pleasant surprise to see you here, Mavis."

"I can't say that I think the same," Mavis said stiffly, suddenly realizing that her greatest enemy had witnessed her running and dancing in the rain like a silly child. Oh, _god_! She was _never_ going to live this down! "What are you doing here, Zeref?"

"Taking a pleasant stroll." Zeref replied smoothly.

"In the rain?" Mavis blurted out without thinking.

Zeref gave her drenched appearance a pointed look. Mavis flushed.

"I must say, it's a shock to see you alive, Mavis," Zeref continued as if she hadn't said anything. "But then again, you were never really dead to begin with. I suppose you got someone to revive you."

"How did you know?" Mavis raised an eyebrow.

"I realized it once I got my act together," Zeref remarked airily, as if they were discussing the weather. "And I see that you have the power of Lumen Histoire-no, Fairy Heart, within you."

"Precht told you, then," Mavis murmured, her heart heavy. She and Precht had once been so close, but he had fallen to the darkness.

Just as Zeref had.

"He was a genius," Zeref murmured whimsically. "He experimented just as you and I had, but unlike us, he wasn't cursed by Ankersam."

"Yes, well, he was lucky," Mavis muttered. " _I_ was lucky I escaped when I did, but you-the curse changed you, that's why-"

Zeref moved swiftly and before Mavis could blink, he was looming over her, his dark eyes boring into hers.

"Make no mistake," Zeref said silkily, pinning Mavis with an intense glare. "My actions were mine and mine alone."

"But it _was_ the prophecy," Mavis said coolly, refusing to back down from him. "That's why you massacred the entire Heartfilia kingdom."

"Well, not _exactly_ the prophecy," Zeref said calmly, stepping away from Mavis. "That had to do with it-but I would've left well alone if Layla Heartfilia had not broken her promise to me. Such a pity…Lucy probably takes after her. It's too bad I'll have to kill her."

"Lucy _isn't_ at fault," Mavis said fiercely. "She didn't ask for that stupid prediction to be made about her. And prophecies can be inaccurate, anyway! How can you trust it?!"

"This one was quite specific," Zeref countered. " _She that is born of the stars, shall be the only one to vanquish-he that is etherious, born in summer, with scales of a dragon._ Sounds familiar, don't you think, Mavis? Both of us heard the prophecy together, after all."

"Zeref-"

"It makes perfect sense," Zeref continued. "The Heartfilias have the blood of the stars running through their veins, and Lucy is the sole descendant. And, as I've told you, Natsu's true form is a demon, so 'etherious' should be obvious. 'Natsu' in Japanese means 'summer'. And as for 'scales of a dragon', that refers to our last name and Natsu's dragon slaying magic. In short, Lucy Heartfilia will kill Natsu. In order to evade that, I will eliminate her first."

"You forgot about the second part of the prophecy," Mavis said quietly. " _Bonds shall be tested. Hearts shall be broken. But Love shall conquer all._ "

"That part of the prophecy is irrelevant," Zeref said dismissively. "Things like 'love' and 'affection' are useless and only bring the downfall of great empires. After all, 'Love' is what caused Layla Heartfilia to make her fatal mistake.

"Lucy and Natsu are bound, I regret to say. No matter what the circumstances, they _will_ meet and Lucy _will_ kill Natsu, if I don't stop her first. They are connected by the Red String of Fate, if such a ludicrous thing is possible."

Mavis' eyes widened. Now that she thought about it…hadn't Lucy been serving Natsu in the castle? They could have been friends…..perhaps, even more. And there was that sad, painful smile on Lucy's face as she chose pink as the color of her guild mark….

It was a pain Mavis knew all too well.

 _Maybe….they love each other…..?_

"And what of Juvia Lockser?"

"What about her?"

"It's unusual for you to decide who Natsu marries or loves," Mavis rallied. "After all, you do claim to care about him, don't you? So why this sudden move? Why get them engaged now?"

"That is because Natsu was wasting his time on foolish things," was Zeref's cryptic answer. "It's high time he starts thinking about other things, rather than wasting time on that foolish emotion."

The dots connected in Mavis' head. _I see_ , she thought grimly. _So I_ _ **was**_ _right._

Her eyes narrowed. "But what did Layla Heartfilia do, Zeref?"

The emotionless look on Zeref's face as he responded was absolutely chilling. His words were few, but Mavis understood them all too well.

She took a step back. "No-!" Mavis gasped. "Layla wouldn't have-"

"But she did," Zeref replied. "She loved her child so much that she would give her life for her. Oh, wait," A cold smirk lit up his face. "She _did_."

Mavis's face contorted with anger. "Zeref-!"

He turned and started to walk back the way he came. Around them, the rain had ceased, but neither noticed.

"Goodbye, Mavis," Zeref spoke softly. There was a strange, almost twisted tender lilt to his voice as he spoke her name.

"I'll see you on the battlefield."

Mavis stood in the cold, watching as his lone figure disappeared into the darkness.

This was the man whom she had once sworn to love for all of her days.

When had he turned into such a _monster?_

 **(A/N):** _ **Next Time: Like a Sister**_


	13. Like a Sister

**Chapter-11**

 **Like a Sister**

Juvia sat at the mahogany desk in her room, her bent over a pile of documents scattered on the surface.

It was just as she had thought, the legal paperwork Natsu had been working on wasn't guarded very well. It had been a simple task to sneak the documents out of his room and into hers.

Unfortunately, none of the documents had any information that was actually useful to Phantom Lord's cause. There were details on trades between Fiore and its neighbors, the economy, and so on. One interesting thing, however, was some info on the castle soldiers who were planning an attack on a known magical guild. It was a small one and the military had discovered its hidden headquarters and were planning on wiping it out within the week. Juvia hastily made a copy of it and sealed it up to send to Master Jose. The guild was one of the few they allied with, called Twilight Ogre. Well, the alliance was mostly because both guilds wanted to destroy Fairy Tail. Well, in any case, this would hopefully thwart their efforts.

It had been two weeks since Juvia had arrived at the castle. Lisanna had left about a week ago. She hadn't been doing much, as her role was to only make Natsu trust her, so she could kill him two months later, when they got married. Juvia was playing the role of an air-headed noblewoman, who was moderately good at magic, in order to hide her true colors. The only person who had seen her real self, when she slipped, was Gray.

Gray. Juvia frowned. The man was the most infuriatingly mysterious person she had ever met. He had wormed out all sorts of information about her, but never revealed anything about himself.

 _Wait._ Juvia blinked. _Why do I care?_

And yet….that night she had had her panic attack….he had shed his suspicion and doubt about her and had taken care of her like no one had…and his arms felt so warm and comforting and….

 _No!_ Juvia scolded herself and slapped her hands over her cheeks, which had taken on a rosy hue. _Focus!_

Juvia took up her quill determinedly, wanting to get any thought of Gray out of her mind.

The door flew open. "Juvia!"

The girl in question swung around, caught up a stone dagger lying on her desk and flung it at the doorframe.

Gray yelped and ducked as the dagger narrowly missed his head and struck the wall beside him. With a short shriek, Wendy ran behind Gray and used him as a body barrier.

"What the hell, Juvia?!" Gray demanded. "Are you _trying_ to kill us?!"

"Sorry, reflex action," Juvia said automatically. "Wait, why did you two come in here screaming like the world was about to end?"

"We can't find Natsu," Wendy explained. "He had to go to a Council Meeting with Zeref, so Gray me to the town. Now, we can't find him."

"Do you think he's….." Juvia gave Gray a meaningful look, not wanting to mention _that_ in front of Wendy.

"Probably not," Gray replied, understanding. "She has duties now, anyway, he can't be with her."

Wendy blinked in confusion. "Who?"

"No one," Juvia said quickly. "Let's go search for him, shall we?"

"Let's check the kitchens," Wendy suggested as they exited the castle doors. "I didn't think about it before, but Natsu does go there very often…"

Gray groaned. "I swear, if he's bothering the chef again….."

They were near the building where the kitchens were located now. Suddenly, a strange sight presented itself to them.

On the upper storey of the building, a window opened. A head appeared, looking this way and that. A pair of arms and legs appeared, along with a fluttering scaly scarf and the strange figure jumped out of the window and performed a flawless landing on the ground.

" _Natsu?!_ "

"Guys? What are you doing here?"

"You were bothering the cooks _again_?!" Gray snapped in exasperation. "We were looking all over for you, y'know!"

"Sorry, sorry." Natsu said sheepishly.

"Figures," Gray muttered. Looking at him again, he took a double take. "Why on Earthland are you dressed like that?"

"Huh?"

Natsu's hair was even messier than normal, sticking out at odd angles. His clothes were rumpled and messy. His cloak was missing, the top three buttons of his shirt were undone and his trademark scarf was tossed over his shoulder.

"Oh, my." Juvia murmured. Wendy simply looked confused.

Gray gave him a devilish smirk (Which most certainly did _not_ look attractive, Juvia told herself firmly). "Something good happen, eh?"

"Shut up, Ice Princess." Natsu said, but his voice lacked the usual bite it held.

"Is that lipstick on your face?" Gray continued with a grin.

"Luce doesn't wear lipstick-damnit." Natsu slapped a hand over his mouth in horror and guiltily glanced at Wendy and Juvia.

Wendy was confused for several reasons.

Why was Gray grinning like a Cheshire Cat?

Why did Juvia look like she wanted to laugh but was desperately trying to hold it in?

And finally, who was this Luce person?

"Juvia?" The water mage looked up to see Natsu holding out a scroll to her. "The seamstress asked me to give this to you."

"The seamstress?" Juvia raised an eyebrow as she opened the scroll.

The blood instantly drained from her face.

"…..Natsu-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are there FIVE royal balls to celebrate our engagement?"

Natsu shrugged. "Zeref is evil." He said simply.

Juvia groaned, crumpling the parchment up into a ball. "Juvia has to go to dress fittings for all of them And one of them is scheduled for TODAY."

Gray snickered, patting her on the shoulder. "Have fun. Man, I'm so glad I wasn't born a girl.

Juvia doesn't care what Wendy says later, Gray deserved that punch.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"The blue fabric is perfect! It suits Lady Juvia's hair and eyes perfectly!"

"Lady Juvia wears enough blue already. Try the pink, it will look amazing on her!"

"Are you _insane_?! The pink will look terrible with Lady Juvia's complexion!"

"How dare you! Any color would look good with Lady Juvia's beautifully fair skin!"

A vein throbbed in Juvia's forehead, followed by another as the two women argued over which fabric she was to wear.

 _God_ , she didn't care! Did it really matter what colour it was? As long as it was decent and easy to walk about in…..

A glimmer of sliver caught her eye. Juvia bent and picked a crystal blue fabric from the pile lying on the floor. It felt smooth and silky beneath her fingers, and if held up in a certain light, it seemed to turn white.

 _Like ice…_ A flush appeared on Juvia's cheeks.

"My lady, has something caught your attention?" One of the women caught sight of the fabric in Juvia's hand. The other gasped loudly in appreciation.

"That's the one!"

Juvia buried her face in her hands as the women began to argue _again_.

Why had she encouraged them?

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

A few agonizing hours later, Juvia thankfully escaped the seamstress and wandered out into the gardens for a breath of fresh air.

It was dusk, she realized with a grimace. The whole day had been wasted. Natsu and Gray were nowhere to be seen and Wendy seemed to have disappeared completely. She often did that. Even the Exceeds weren't around.

 _Wait._ Juvia came to a stop and her eyes widened. _Am I…missing them….?_

She shook her head quickly. _Ridiculous. Get it together, Juvia! You can't form any attachments here._

A flash of gold passed her vision. Juvia was shaken out of her thoughts, to see the servant girl whom Natsu was so attached to, walk past her; carrying two buckets of water.

The girl stopped and looked at her.

The first thing Juvia noticed was that she was wearing the stars earrings that had been in Natsu's desk. She couldn't stop the amused smile that sprang to her lips. So that was why Natsu had been quite…. _late_ that morning.

The girl seemed to mistake her amusement for derision. Her eyes sparked with an angry fire and her fingers clenched around the buckets.

 _What did I do?_ Juvia wondered, rubbing her forehead as the familiar pounding pain started up again.

Lucy glared at the woman standing a few feet away from her. She had the nerve to stand there and _smirk_! Lucy wanted to lash out-sic Aquarius on her or something.

And yet-Lucy could feel such a strange familiarity between them. It was as if they knew each other-in another life, perhaps.

"Can I help?"

Lucy looked blank at Juvia's sudden question. What did she mean? Why on Earthland would she want to help her?

When Juvia reached out to take the bucket, Lucy understood and quickly backed away.

"I-It's alright, my lady," She stammered. "Please don't bother yourself."

"Lucy-san, right?" At the blonde's stunned nod, Juvia smiled a forced smile-she was honestly feeling as awkward as Lucy was and had no idea what she was doing- "Let me help you."

Lucy shook her head quickly. Ignoring Juvia's protests, she turned and ran.

Once she was out of sight, Lucy plopped down behind a couple of bushes, gasping heavily as she tried to catch her breath.

"Damn her," Lucy muttered under her breath. "Damn that woman….."

Smiling shakily, she reached up to gently caress the beautiful earrings Natsu had gifted her.

He had waylaid her in a little back room in the kitchens and presented it to her. Lucy had been surprised and delighted-and was perhaps a little _too_ enthusiastic in thanking him.

She smiled wryly upon remembering the little-or maybe not so little-make out session they'd had.

"He's dense, reckless and can be a bit of an idiot at times," Lucy whispered to herself. "But Natsu is really a sweet guy."

Her eyes darkened as she remembered Juvia. It was all because of her- _she_ was the one who was engaged to Natsu.

Lucy was supposed to hate her. And somehow, she couldn't. She just couldn't. There was such a queer connection between them-a strange sort of…..friendship, maybe? But that was impossible, they had never met before this.

A short, blurred memory flashed across her mind.

* * *

" _Hime-sama, it's late. You should get to bed."_

" _Papa isn't back yet…."_

" _He'll be back soon, Hime-sama. You need your rest. The queen said you were feeling tired these days, right? You need to take care of your body or you'll fall seek."_

" _But-"_

" _It'll be alright."_

"… _alright, Juvia."_

* * *

 _No!_ Lucy clutched wildly at her head. _Stop lying to yourself, Lucy! Juvia is_ _ **not**_ _that girl! That girl and I-we were friends. She was like a sister to me. Juvia and her-they are not the same person!_

Lucy closed her eyes, tears of rage and fury coursing down her cheeks.

 _I hate her! I hate her!_

 **(A/N): Phew, that ended on a pretty emotional note, eh? It's all one big mess: Lucy hating Juvia for being engaged to Natsu and what not, and Juvia confused about her growing attraction for Gray. Crazy, huh? If you guys think this chapter is emotional, wait till you read the next one.**

 **Thank you,** _ **SweetMemories1998**_ **for your lovely reviews! They totally made my day! Please continue to review, you're such a sweet person!**

 _ **Next Time: Flee**_

 **See you next time!**


	14. Flee

**Chapter-12**

 **Flee**

Within the walls of the Dragneel castle, one Juvia Lockser was troubled.

"Why did I do that?" She muttered. "Being so kind to that servant girl-I even offered to help her! Why do I feel like I know her? I swear, this place making me go soft-"

She rounded a corner and ran smack into Gray.

"Watch where you're going, will you?" Gray asked amusedly, putting a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "You might fall out of a window or something."

Juvia's eyes narrowed.

" _Water Nebula!_ "

"Gah!"

Gray crashed into a wall from the unexpected jet of water. Juvia looked down at him smugly.

"Don't forget that Juvia has defeated you before, Gray-sama. She can do it again."

Gray stood up with a grin, trying not to think about how enchanting and beautiful she looked with water swirling around her, and, _no, stop it!_ "Point taken."

"Where's Natsu-san."

"In his room. I'm going on city patrol. Want to come with?"

Juvia raised an eyebrow and nodded.

* * *

Lucy trudged along the long corridors to her room. She was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted from the events of the day. All she wanted to do at that moment was collapse into her bed and never get up again.

But Fate isn't kind.

Rounding a corner, she bumped into someone and went crashing to the ground..

"I-I'm so sorry!" Lucy stammered. Pushing her hair out of her face, she looked up at who she had bumped into. The blood instantly drained from her face.

Kyouka of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros sneered down at her. "Filthy little human," She hissed. "I should kill you where you stand, hm?"

Lucy quickly reached for her keys. She didn't want to use them unless it was absolutely necessary, but if this woman-no, demon, was serious, then she needed to defend herself.

Swift as lightning, Kyouka's claws shot down and caught hold of her chin, forcing Lucy up to her level. The Celestial Mage bit back a scream as the claws dug into her skin.

"Let go of me!"

Kyouka smirked. "Feisty, are we? Little girl, you should never talk back to your superiors."

With great force, she flung her aside. Lucy's head met the wall with a shattering impact. Pain exploding in her forehead, Lucy staggered back against the wall and gingerly touched her head.

Her hand came back red.

 _Oh god…..I'm bleeding….._

Not giving Lucy a chance to recover, Kyouka grabbed her again. "This should teach you, girlie." She purred.

This time, Lucy's head smashed against the wall again before her body hit the ground with a thud.

Kyouka watched the blood pooling around Lucy's body with a twisted sense of pleasure and glee.

"Maybe another hit should do it," She murmured sadistically.

"Kyouka? What's going?"

Lucy froze. _No, no, no, please,_ _ **no**_ _…._

Kyouka turned as Zeref Dragneel came into view. "Your Majesty."

Zeref glanced at the steadily growing pool of blood. A frown appeared on his face. "What happened here?"

"I was just teaching this human cretin some manners, Your Majesty." Kyouka replied smoothly.

"I see," Zeref said. "Don't you have to go to a meeting of the Nine?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then you'd best be off," Zeref said firmly. "You don't want to keep the others waiting."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Once Kyouka disappeared around the corner, Zeref took a few steps towards Lucy's bedraggled form.

 _Please go away,_ Lucy chanted inwardly. _Leave, leave, leave….._

"Are you alright?" Zeref asked quietly.

"….yes."

"Very well." Zeref turned on his heel and began to walk away, his footsteps echoing through the hallways.

When he was gone, Lucy tried to get up, but slumped back onto the floor. Her vision began to blur and was dotted with black spots.

 _I'm so tired…._

With that final thought, consciousness faded away.

* * *

It was dark, Lucy realized drowsily as she woke up. Really dark. What kind of person lived in a room like this?

As she sat up, her limbs felt like jelly and her head pounded as if someone had hit it with a hammer.

 _A futon_? Lucy thought, patting down the mattress she had been lying on. Next to it sat a bowl of water. Her head had been bandaged and the scratches on her face were treated with cream.

A soft voice broke the silence.

"I see you're awake, Miss Heartfilia."

Panic shot through Lucy as she recalled what had happened a few hours ago. Looking around frantically, she searched for the source of the voice.

Someone switched on the light. Lucy blinked as the brightness dazzled her vision. As her eyes became adjusted to the light, she emitted a soft gasp at the sight of her savior-or rather, her captor.

"Zeref." Lucy whispered weakly, slumping back against the pillow.

"What a surprise this is," Zeref drawled. "To find the Fugitive Princess herself in my humble abode." Raising his hand, he displayed something that made Lucy's blood boil.

It was her keys.

She jumped up, kicking the blanket and sheets away. "Return my keys," Lucy demanded with an eerie sort of calmness.

"Not yet," Zeref said, placing them on a little side table. "It turns out that you weren't quite alright. You almost died from blood loss, you know. It's a good thing I came back for you."

Lucy glowered at Zeref and began to summon forth all the magic power she could muster. The Black Wizard noticed her attempt and laughed. "Don't bother, Lucy," He said serenely. "It won't work."

"Damn, you," Lucy hissed. "You killed my entire family-"

Technically, it was my soldiers who did that," Zeref interrupted. "But I suppose it was indirectly my fault."

"You bastard!"

"Such words coming from a Princess," Zeref mused, a dark smile on his face. "You really shouldn't, Lucy. After all, if your mother had never broken her promise to me-"

Lucy faltered. "Promise?"

Zeref chuckled. "Ah, so you didn't know? How ironic, she did it to protect you, after all."

Lucy's mind whirled. "To protect me?"

"Yes-but that's none of your concern now. Lucy, would you do me a favor?"

"As if I would-!"

"Tell Mavis," Zeref smirked when Lucy stiffened at his informal way of referring to the founder of Fairy Tail. "That I _will_ take Fairy Heart-and that not even the One Magic can stop me."

Zeref waved his hand and a door appeared next to Lucy, opening. Her keys zoomed into her waiting hands.

"Goodbye, Lucy Heartfilia. I'll see you in hell."

* * *

Clutching her keys to her chest, Lucy ran down the hallways as fast as she could. There was no time to stop and think about anything. Lucy knew what she had to do: She had to get out of the castle, and fast. Zeref had let her go for some reason, but who knew when he would change his mind and come after her?

At the end of the corridor, a familiar head of pink hair came into view.

"Natsu! What are you doing here?"

"Going to visit Zeref-wait," Natsu's eyes widened at the sight of her bandaged head. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Kyouka of the Nine Demon Gates happened," Lucy said grimly. "She beat the hell out of me for bumping into her."

Natsu's face darkened. "That bitch," He growled. "I swear, the next time I see her, I'll rip every last limb from her body-"

"Natsu, I'm leaving."

He paused. "Huh?"

"Zeref knows who I am," Lucy gestured around frantically. "I can't explain how, but he _knows_. I need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

"You can't leave!" Natsu protested.

"There's no time, Natsu! I have to leave _now_!"

Natsu shook his head frantically. " _No!_ " He cried desperately. "I can protect you from him!"

Lucy stepped up to him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. A tear slipped down her face.

"I'm sorry, Natsu. Goodbye."

And then she ran, leaving him behind.

* * *

 **(A/N): *hides* I'd say I'm sorry for being so cruel but I don't think it's help~**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned.**

 _ **Next Time: Hand in Hand**_


	15. Feelings

**Chapter-13**

 **Hand in Hand**

"Why did you bring me here?" Juvia asked as she and Gray walked through the bustling streets of Magnolia.

Gray shrugged. "You've never been here before, have you? Since I have city patrol, I might as well be showing you around."

"Aren't you supposed to be actually guarding me, though?"

He rolled his eyes. "There are enough and more guards already. This is just a precaution." Gray stopped and grinned suddenly. "I'm the best, though."

Juvia smiled wryly. "Modest, aren't you?"

"Always, milady."

Gray continued, in a lower voice. "Still, Magnolia used to be one of the safest towns around…..but these days, not so much. They've been so many murders and assassinations-no one dares to go out at night any longer."

Juvia lowered her gaze. She knew all too well how true that statement was.

 _-Flashback—_

" _Water Slicer!"_

 _Juvia watched dispassionately as the blades of water cut through the woman's chest. She choked, gurgled on her own blood before collapsing to the ground at Juvia's feet._

" _W-Why-" The woman rasped and then shuddered as pain wracked her body. "W-Why did you do this…?"_

 _Juvia stared at her emotionlessly, not bothering to respond._

" _I had a daughter….." The woman's voice rose to a high scream. "She'll be all alone in the world without me."_

 _Again, Juvia didn't respond._

" _You monster!" The woman spat. "I hope you'll burn in hell for this!"_

 _Her voice died away as her life left her._

 _Monster._

 _Monster._

 ** _Monster_**

 _Yes, that was what Juvia was. A cold-blooded demon with little regard for the lives of others. No wonder she was being cursed like this. No wonder everyone hated her._

 _Juvia stared at the steadily growing pool of blood and whispered to the silence._

" _I did it because I was told to."_

 _-End of Flashback—_

"Juvia!"

The Water Mage looked up, startled. "What?"

"You spaced out again," Gray bent his head so that he could look her in the eye. "Are you alright?"

Juvia flinched away from his gaze. Clenching her fists, she spoke quietly, refusing to look at him. "I'm fine."

Suddenly, Gray reached out and slipped his hand into hers. Juvia instantly looked up at him, amazed, a queer warmth spreading through her body at the gentle touch. She had never let a man, or anyone, for that matter come so close to her. So why did it feel so oddly _right_ when Gray did it?

"You don't have to put on that act with me, you know," Gray's voice was unusually tender, sending a shiver up her spine. He began to walk again, letting go of her hand. "Now, this is the way to the East Forest…"

Juvia stared after him, dumbfounded. _What the hell?! Did he just see through my act? No one has done that before! And what did her mean by saying 'with him'? That's like implying that we're friends or something! Wait, we_ ** _are_** _friends. But that's not the point!_ Juvia closed her eyes, a small pout forming on her lips.

 _Stupid Gray-sama!_

Lucy sat on a chair in the Fairy Tail guild hall, her hands fisted in her lap. Wendy stood next to her, her hands covered in a soft green glow as they hovered over her head. Mavis absently played with a quill, thinking over the things that Lucy had told her.

After escaping from Zeref, Lucy ran straight to her room where Levy was waiting. After explaining the situation to her, the Solid Script Mage understood and sent a call to the guild. Two exceeds, partners with Gajeel and Wendy, Pantherlily and Carla respectively; came to take them to Fairy Tail. And that was that.

"There, Lucy-san," Wendy wiped her forehead and smiled reassuringly at the blonde. "I healed the wound as best as I could. It will heal in a few days, but I'm afraid it will leave a scar."

"That's fine," Lucy smiled. "Thank you, Wendy

"That's alright, Lucy-san." Wendy gave her a rather curious look. Before Lucy could ponder this, a rough voice cut into her musings.

"Oi, Bunnygirl!"

Lucy sighed softly. Gajeel always persisted in calling her that ridiculous name, his explanation being that she 'looked like a rabbit'. He never called anyone else by their proper names, either. Even Levy and Pantherlily were stuck with 'Shrimp' and 'my cat'.

"What is it Gajeel?"

"You-" Gajeel stopped abruptly as Wendy suddenly jumped up and grabbed his hand. "What?"

"We need to talk."

"But-"

" _Now_." Wendy said insistently and pulled him to the infirmary, slamming the door behind them.

"Lucy?"

"Hm?" She turned to Mavis, who had spoken.

"Are you sure that Zeref didn't hurt you in any way?" Mavis' jade eyes were serious as she spoke. "You need to tell us if he did, Lucy."

"Surprisingly, no," Lucy shook her head, wincing at the pain it caused her. "I can't understand why he let me go in the first place. He did say something strange before I left, though."

"Oh? And what was that?"

"Master Mavis, did you ever know Zeref personally?"

The quill fell from Mavis' fingers as she stared at Lucy, stunned.

"Because," Lucy continued. "He said, and I quote: 'Tell Mavis that I will take Fairy Heart-and that not even the One Magic can stop me."

Mavis' eyes darkened. "I see," She murmured, her voice dangerous. Lucy shivered.

"Yes, Lucy, I knew him," Mavis paused. "Or at least, I thought I did."

Startled by this cryptic answer, Lucy was about to ask for more, when she was interrupted.

"Lucy!" Wendy stuck her head out of the infirmary. "Could you come here for a sec?"

"What's going on?" Erza asked curiously from where she had just finished her slice of strawberry cake.

"Ah, Erza-you'd better come along. You too, Levy."

The two girls looked over at each other and shrugged before walking over. Lucy followed, feeling slightly nervous.

"Hey, is that him?"

"No, it can't be…."

"No, look, it really _is_ him!"

"Looks like you're a celebrity around here," Juvia murmured. "Those girls keep staring at you, Gray-sama."

Gray smirked arrogantly. "What can I say? I'm popular with the ladies."

Juvia sighed. "Again with the modesty?"

"Always."

Shaking her head in defeated, Juvia pulled up the hood of her cloak, trying her best to hide her uncommon blue hair. Gray glanced at her in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Imagine what people will say if they see the Prince's fiancée with you, Gray-sama," Juvia said patiently. "There'd be a huge scandal by the end of the day and the Emperor would kill Ju-me." _Not if Master Jose got to me first,_ she added silently.

When the finally reached the East Forest, Gray began to tell Juvia about it.

"The East Forest is filled with magical creatures and plants of all kinds. Parts of it are safe, but there are many places inhabited by dangerous Vulcans and Wyverns."

"I see." Juvia said, completely unconcerned. Gray grinned inwardly.

 _Caught you there, Lady Juvia._ He thought silently. _The sweet little noblewoman you're trying to emulate would be terrified of these monsters, yet you're completely indifferent. I'm seeing more and more glimpses of your true personality. I'll figure you out, definitely._

"Do you sense it, too?" Juvia asked quietly.

"Huh?"

"There's an extraordinary amount of magic power coming from this forest," She pressed her palm against the bark of a tree. "I know that this is a magic forest, but this feels….different."

Gray narrowed his eyes. "Now that I think about it…"

As if on cue, there was a flare in magic power and a golden and silver beam of light shot out from the middle of the forest and into the sky before shattering.

Gray blinked. "….the hell just happened?"

"We'd better go investigate," Juvia took a step forward, but before she could go any further, Gray put a hand on her shoulder.

Shivering involuntarily at his cool touch, Juvia turned to him. "What is it?"

"Don't go," Gray ordered. "The East Forest is dangerous and we don't know who or what might have triggered that magic power."

"Juvia can handle herself," She snapped.

Gray shook his head. "We'll inform Natsu. He knows the forest better than anyone else."

"But-"

"Juvia." She froze at the pleading way he said her name. "I've never sensed magic like this before. It's better to send in a team instead of going ourselves."

 _Don't give in, don't give in, don't give in…_

Gray's eyes were wide, shiny and made Juvia feel as if she had kicked a puppy,

"…..alright," Juvia found herself agreeing.

Gray suddenly smirked and patted her head. "Good girl," he said and began to walk away without a care in the world.

Juvia stared after him with wide eyes, anger bubbling up in her chest. _That infuriating man! He played me like a damn violin!_

 _Gray Fullbuster…go…..straight….to hell!_

The mage collapsed to the ground, trembling with pain. Jellal caught him up by the throat, his normally kind hazel eyes cold and unforgiving.

"Go back to Phantom Lord and tell Master Jose this," Jellal hissed. "It is a foolish thing to make an enemy of Fairy Tail. We do not show mercy to anyone who threatens our comrades."

The minute the Heavenly Body Mage dropped him to the ground, the man ran away at top speed. Sighing, Jellal turned to the black-haired woman casually leaning against a tree.

"You could've helped out instead of just standing there, Ultear."

Ultear smirked. "But you handled it just fine, Jellal. I think the whole of Magnolia saw that last attack."

Jellal rolled his eyes. "I came here in a hurry because Erza sent a message saying that the Princess had been found. ….I didn't expect to see a Phantom Lord member snooping around. What _is_ everyone doing? I'd better go in and inform the First. Are you coming, Ultear?"

Ultear shook her head. "No, I need to go visit my dear cousin in the castle. I have a mission to perform there. First's orders. Besides, Titania might wallop off my head if she sees me with you-again."

"Fine. See you later."

She nodded and disappeared in a flash of light.

Jellal glanced at the Entrance Circle and sighed again, wishing he didn't have to be the one to break the news about Phantom Lord to Master Mavis.

She would _not_ be pleased.

Wendy shut the door and locked it before turning to the others. Gajeel was leaning against the wall, his usual grumpy look on his face. Levy was perched on a bed, cradling a leather bound book. Erza absently twisted the ring inlaid with rubies around her finger, And Lucy stood in the centre, feeling like a deer caught in headlights.

"This room is enchanted with sound proof runes," Wendy said quietly. "Anything we say in here will never be known to anyone else."

Erza raised an eyebrow. "What's all the secrecy about, Wendy?"

The Sky Dragon Slayer took a deep breath before turning to Lucy. "Lucy-san," She began to stumble over her words. "We would like to know-ah, that is-"

"What the kid is tryin' to say," Gajeel cut in. "Is that we'd like to know why exactly you're practically bathed in Salamander's scent."

Lucy turned as white as a sheet. Erza looked stunned, the vial slipping from her hand and shattering on the floor. Levy, somehow, didn't look all that surprised.

"Please don't look like that, Lucy-san," Wendy said gently. "This isn't an interrogation. We're just curious."

"…Wendy," Erza said faintly. "Are you talking about Natsu?"

"Yeah," Gajeel answered for her. "There's no mistakin' that moron's scent," He turned his crimson gaze towards to Lucy. "Well, Bunnygirl?"

Lucy laced her fingers together agitatedly. "I-I'm not quite sure what to tell you."

"Perhaps you should start from the beginning, Lu-chan." Levy suggested calmly.

Lucy exhaled. "Alright."

So she told them.

She told them how she had been assigned to be Natsu's maid. She told them how she had resented him at first, for being Zeref's brother. She told them how kind he had been to her. She told them how friendship had developed between them, and how that friendship had turned into something more. She told them how that 'something more' had turned into something dangerous, destructive, that they were utterly helpless against. A fire that would never burn out.

She told them about how he had figured out that she was the Princess. She told them about how he had never said a word about it, protecting her.

She told them everything.

At the end of Lucy's tale, Gajeel looked stunned, Wendy had tears in her eyes, Erza's face was curiously blank and Levy looked sympathetic.

"I'm sorry, Lucy," Wendy said mournfully. "If we had known it was something like this, we would've never asked."

"It's alright, Wendy. You guys had to know, anyway. Doing this, I've essentially betrayed you all." Lucy bowed her head. "I'm so sorry, everyone!"

"Raise your head, Lucy," Erza commanded. She placed her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "You are our Princess. You must never lower yourself to us."

"Lu-chan, it's not your fault," Levy insisted.

"It _is_!" Lucy cried. "He-Natsu's my enemy! I should've never fallen in love with him. I'm supposed to _hate_ him! It's different for the rest of you, you've known Natsu for the most of your lives! I'm a traitor! After my parents gave their lives to protect me, I went and fell for the brother of their greatest enemy!"

"You're bein' stupid," Gajeel grunted. "There ain't no sin in fallin' in love."

And just like that, the conversation was over.

Lucy's eyes widened. Levy swung around to look at Gajeel, a light blush coating her cheeks.

Gajeel glanced at her. "What's up?"

Levy blushed even brighter. "N-Nothing!"

Gajeel shrugged. "Whatever. Let's go."

Levy ran after him. "Wait for me!"

"You're too slow," Gajeel grumbled. He grabbed her hand, wrapping his calloused fingers around hers. An unusually soft expression crossed his face as they went out together.

When the door shut behind her, Erza turned to Lucy.

"Tell me something," The Requip Mage murmured. "Natsu is like the little brother I never had. Do you _really_ love him?"

Lucy was silent for awhile. There was a strange pain in her chest that seemed to be trying to tear her apart inside out. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. To horror, tears began to burn at her eyes. Lucy blinked them away furiously. No, she couldn't cry here-not in front of someone else. No….!

She suddenly began to long for the comfort of that little companion she had so long ago. It didn't matter that she could barely remember her. That girl was her friend, her sister, her _comrade_. In that moment, Lucy wanted her, badly. To feel that comfort and warmth that she just faintly remembered from her childhood…she'd do _anything_ for it!

 _Please…whoever you are, I need you. Please…!_

Finally, Lucy answered, giving Erza a smile filled with anguish.

"I love him more than life itself."

Juvia came to a stop suddenly and clutched at her chest. Gray turned to look at her in surprise.

There was a queer warmth rushing through her and pounding in her head. It was like she was in a dark, dark, place and there was a glimpse of light but she just _couldn't_ reach for it. It was like there was something she desperately had to remember, and that something terrible would happen if she didn't.

 _Juvia!_

"What a strange feeling," Juvia whispered. "As if someone was calling me loudly, as if they needed me desperately."

 _Who could it be…?_

 **(A/N): Phew! This chappie was supposed to be longer, but I decided to cut it short. Thanks for reviewing, everyone, especially SweetMemories1998!**

 ** _Next Time:_** ** _Hand in Hand_**


	16. Hand in Hand

**Chapter-14**

 **Hand in Hand**

"Gray?"

"Yeah?" He replied, smirking inwardly that she had dropped the 'sama' for once.

"Not to worry you or anything," Juvi said indifferently. "But we are currently being followed."

Gray spun around. " _What_?!"

A soft, feminine laugh sounded and a tall, beautiful woman stepped out of the shadows. Gray's mouth fell open.

"Ultear?! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too, Gray," Ultear said, amused. "I see you're just as vigilant as ever."

"Shut up," Gray grumbled. "Again, why are you here?"

"I just dropped by to visit," Ultear said innocently. Her crimson eyes locked on to Juvia, who resisted the urge to take a step back. "Isn't that the Prince's fiancé?"

"Yeah," Gray answered shortly. "Juvia, this is Ultear-"

"-his beloved cousin." Ultear cut in.

Gray rolled his eyes. "We aren't really cousins, you know."

"Would you prefer to call me onee-chan, then?" Ultear asked sweetly.

"Uh, no. Cousin is fine, thanks."

"I thought so. Where is our esteemed Prince."

"We were looking for him, actually," Juvia spoke up, putting a fake smile on her face when Ultear looked at her. "We spotted a strange source of magic power in the East Forest, so we wanted to speak with him about it."

The smile slid off Ultear's face. _I knew it._ She sighed inwardly. _Jellal needs to be more careful._

"I can't stay for long," Ultear went on. "I'll leave after dinner."

"Good," Gray said snidely.

Ultear narrowed her eyes. "Careful, Gray," She threatened. "I could always set you up on a blind date and make your life miserable."

"…you wouldn't."

"Try me."

Juvia stared at the two, who were now having a staring contest and murmured under her breath, "I'm glad I don't have any siblings."

Apparently, she wasn't quite enough, for Gray and Ultear, upon hearing her comment, swung around to look at her.

"Erm…."

After an awkward silence (during which Ultear and Gray were doing their best not to laugh), Gray cleared his throat. "I'll go check on Natsu. Wait for me in the lounge, you two."

When he was out of sight, Ultear's lips drew into a mischievous grin as she pinned Juvia with her crimson gaze.

Juvia swallowed, feeling much like an animal stalked by a predator.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Gray knocked on Natsu's door for the third time and frowned.

 _Is he even here?_ Gray wondered irritably and tried the door.

It opened.

"Natsu?" Gray blinked in confusion upon seeing the Fire Dragon Slayer. He was sitting by the window, his body motionless and his head resting against the glass. He was fast asleep.

"What the hell? If you're going to sleep, at least go to bed-"

He stopped abruptly upon seeing Natsu's face. It was unusually pale. His fists were bleeding, as if he'd punched a wall several times. And there were dried tearstains on his cheeks.

 _It can't be…._

Gray left the room, slamming the door behind him. Running down to the servants' quarters, he flung open the door of a certain room.

The quarters were bare and empty. There was not a sign that anyone had ever lived there.

"I thought as much," Gray muttered.

After all, only Lucy' presence-or lack of it-could make Natsu break down completely as he had. Gray's heart wrenched in pity for the two. He didn't know what had happened, but he could take a guess. Lucy had to leave the castle for some reason, Natsu had tried to stop her and obviously failed.

Gray liked Lucy. She was like a little sister to him. But at that moment, he wished she had never set foot in the castle. If she hadn't, those two wouldn't have to suffer like this. Natsu would be perfectly happy and be his normal, goofy, dense, self.

 _They should've just stayed away from each other,_ Gray thought. _That stupid emotion brings nothing but sadness. If that is love, then…..I don't want to have anything to do with it._

Briefly, Juvia's face flickered into his mind. He hastily shook the image away.

Unbeknownst to Gray, Fate had already set its wheels in motion.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"How _dare_ they!"

Jose's Shade Magic lashed out at the lesser wizard who had come back from the Fairy Tail headquarters, bruised and bloody from his fight with Jellal Fernandes. The dark spirits wound around the man's throat, hissing and cackling gleefully. He collapsed to the ground, clawing and scratching fruitlessly at his neck.

"Damn you, Makarov!" Jose spat, not noticing the way the other guild members backed away nervously. "And damn _you_ , Jellal Fernandes! You'll pay for this! _Totomaru!_ "

The Fire Wizard of the Element Four saluted casually. "Yes Master?"

"Read the Element Four," Jose grinned maniacally. "We're going to storm Fairy Tail."

Totomaru shifting uneasily. "Aria's out on a job-"

"Bring him back. Now."

"And Juvia?"

Jose paused and Totomaru thought he saw unease flicker over his face.

"She's fine where she is," Jose said finally.

"The rest of you, get ready. We have some Fairies to hunt."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

 _Better to have loved and to have lost than to have not loved at all._

Lucy thought that whoever had said that had to be an idiot.

She shut the door of the room Fairy Tail had given her and leaned against it, breathing heavily.

" _Your name is Lucy, right?" Natsu smiled happily hat her. "Nice to meet you, Luce! I'm Natsu!"_

 _Lucy couldn't help but smiled back at his toothy grin. "Nice to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Lucy."_

Lucy pressed a hand to her mouth and slumped down to the floor as tears ran down her cheeks. She bit down on her lip in an attempt to stem the sobs that threatened to escape.

 _Better to love….?!_ She screamed inwardly. _How is this better?! This pain…? How is it better than not loving?! I wish I had never met him! I wish…_

" _You're my best friend, Luce. But really, you're more than that."_

"No….." Lucy whispered brokenly. "Stop it…."

" _Let me stay with you."_

Lucy bit down on her lip so hard that she drew blood. "Stop it!" She sobbed. "I can't take it!"

The room seemed to disappear around her. Lucy found herself looking at a little 10 year old girl.

The girl had blue hair that turned silvery as the sunlight bounced off it. Her blue eyes sparkled and there was a sweet, innocent smile on her face.

"Hime-sama!" She cried happily.

The image vanished. Lucy gripped the ends of her skirt, beginning to cry harder.

"Ju-via-"

She wept until her throat gave up and there were no more tears left. Exhausted, she rested her head on her arms and closed her eyes.

And as she slept, Lucy dreamt. In her dream, a girl with blue hair and a girl with blonde, ran through fields of gold, hand in hand.

 **(A/N):** _ **Next Time: Ring**_


	17. Ring

**Chapter-15**

 **Ring**

"Your Majesty, I can't help but notice that Prince Natsu seems to be…..distracted, lately."

"Is there something you're trying to imply, General Invel?"

Invel couldn't help but flinch at Zeref's unusually harsh tone. The Black Wizard had been strangely irritable and sullen for the past day or so. Anything that was said about his brother made him lash out at them. Invel wondered if it was the curse that was making him act like this. Or perhaps, the book of END…..

Zeref closed his eyes and tried to compose himself. He was in the middle of a meeting with the Spriggan 12, he had to stay calm.

But he was absolutely _furious_. The sight he had witnessed had driven him into a cold, silent rage that slowly simmered beneath the surface.

Natsu had betrayed him. Zeref's eyes flashed crimson as he even thought of it.

 _Lucy Heartfilia. You will pay. And when I get my hands on you, your suffering will know no bounds._

XOXOXOXOXOOXOXO

Juvia sat curled up under a tree in the grounds, idly spinning an orb of water on her palm.

She was feeling rather uneasy. Master Jose had sent a message informing her that they (Phantom Lord) were going to attack Fairy Tail.

It didn't feel right, sitting around like this. Normally, Juvia was at the head of operations such as these. Now, she would gladly join the rest of the guild to fight, but Jose had given her strict orders to not join them and focus on her current task.

 _Not like there's anything else left for Ju-me to do,_ Juvia thought cynically. _Natsu-san already trusts me. All I have to do is wait for the right time to kill him._

The thought made her stomach churn, and Juvia couldn't understand why. She had assassinated so many people before, so how was this any different?

Strolling across the grounds, Gray spotted Juvia and smiled slightly. She wasn't _quite_ the person he wanted to see, but he was glad to see her, all the same.

He opened his mouth to call out to her and paused. _How come she didn't notice me?_ Gray wondered. _She's always on alert and it's impossible to sneak up on her….._

Juvia had let her hair down again, he noticed. It spilled over her shoulders and upper back and was messy, as she'd run her fingers through it several times/ Thee was a frown on her face, making her look adorably confused. Gray couldn't help but chuckle, it was so different from her normal reserved mask.

"Juvia!" Gray called as he made his way to her. The water mage looked up in surprise and a pleased smile appeared on her features upon seeing him.

"Gray-sama," She greeted him as she stood up. "Did Ultear-san leave already?"

"Yeah, right after breakfast."

"I see. And where's Natsu-san?"

Gray scowled. "There's an idiot for you. He's been locked up in his room since yesterday and he won't say a word."

"Does it have to do with _her_?" Juvia frowned slightly. The girl-Lucy, had been quite hostile to her, but Juvia supposed it was to be expected.

Uncertainty flickered across Gray's face and Juvia instantly knew that he was hiding something from her.

"No clue." Gray said casually and Juvia's suspicion deepened still.

 _Well, I doubt it'd be easy to get it out of him, anyway._ Juvia thought wryly. _Gray-sama's as secretive as they come._

"Shall we go see Natsu-san, then?"

"Sure, but I doubt he's gonna open the door for us."

Minutes later, they were standing in front of Natsu's bolted door. Juvia knocked several times, but there was no reply.

"Stupid Flame Brain," Gray muttered, though his voice was laced with worry. "Does he realize who manages his schedule? _I_ do! He just can't decide not to show up for his meetings and stuff!"

"Maybe we should break down the door?" Juvia suggested calmly.

Gray looked at her like she was crazy (which she probably was). "You can't do that, Juvi-"

" _Water Slicer_!"

The blades of water cut through the heavy door like it was paper. There was a resounding crash as it collided with the floor.

"Juvia….." Gray sighed. "You can't go around breaking doors, you know."

She gave him an innocent smile. "But it worked, didn't it?"

The Ice Wizard shook his head in exasperation and turned his attention to the room. His eyes widened slightly. Natsu didn't even seem to have noticed them. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, his head buried in his hands.

Gray's heart twisted in pity for his best friend slash brother. Natsu, who was normally so cheerful and optimistic, looked so utterly broken and lost as he sat there on the bed, unable to even lift his head.

And Gray couldn't do a single damn thing about it.

He _hated_ this.

"Natsu-san?" Juvia asked in an unusually gentle voice. "Is something the matter?"

Natsu raised his head slowly and looked at them in surprise. He gave a weak, obviously fake smile. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

Juvia glanced at Gray, expecting him to yell at Natsu as usual. He did just the opposite.

"Have you had anything to eat since yesterday?"

Natsu blinked at Gray's seemingly random question. "Erm, no….?"

 _Now,_ Juvia was worried. Natsu never went without food for more than two hours at a time.

Something was clearly wrong.

"Let's go to the kitchens, then." Gray said shortly.

They did so, and within minutes, Natsu was seated before a platter filled to the brim with food. He dug in ravenously while Gray and Juvia watched.

"You've missed several meetings as well as a lot of paperwork," Gray told the dragon slayer. "You'll have to make up for it by tomorrow."

Natsu paused mid-bite and looked at him in surprise. "Wait, I was only gone since yesterday! How come the work piled up like that?"

"Juvia and I were in the East Forest yesterday," Gray replied. "And we detected a strange source of magic power in there. So when we came back, I reported it to the Council, and they think it might be a guild."

"A guild?"

"Yeah. They're sending out a team to investigate tomorrow."

The wheels were turning in Natsu's head. A guild that was in the East Forest…..close to the castle…..a strong amount of magic power coming from it…

Was it Fairy Tail?

Lucy had never actually told him where it was located, but it had to be somewhere close by, right? And if it _was_ Fairy Tail, and if they were going to be investigated by the army…

That meant Lucy was in danger.

Natsu sprang up and caught a startled Gray by the collar. "Do you know if it's Fairy Tail?" He demanded.

"Fairy Tail?" Gray repeated.

" _Fairy Tail_?" Juvia sneered.

Natsu and Gray stopped and looked at Juvia in surprise. The water mage panicked as she realized that all the years of Phantom Lord teaching her to hate Fairy Tail was coming back to bite her.

She laughed nervously. "Oh, you know, those guilds…..always causing so much trouble….."

"….okay," Gray said slowly and turned back to Natsu. "Why on Earthland would it be Fairy Tail? They're the most wanted guild in Fiore, there's no way they'd have headquarters so close to the capital."

Natsu let out a string of voluble curses under his breath, realizing that Gray wasn't going to be any help. He _could_ be wrong, of course, but he had to check.

"I'm going to the library!" Natsu yelled, running out of the kitchens.

"Wait!" Gray called but it was too late. "Damnit, what's his problem?! Why is he so obsessed with Fairy Tail? I thought he was upset over Lu-"

Gray was cut off abruptly as Juvia leaned forward and pressed a finger to his lips in warning. "You shouldn't say her name out loud here, Gray-sama," Juvia said quietly. "Someone might hear."

A light blush spread over Gray's face at the close proximity between them and at the contact. "R-Right. Sorry."

Realizing the position they were in, Juvia blushed and quickly moved away."

"Juvia needs to go," The Water Mage stammered. "T-The dress fitting-for the ball-

"

She hurried away. Gray watched her go, a displeased look on his face.

 _I forgot….._ He thought. _That she's engaged to Natsu…._

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Natsu slammed shut the tenth volume he'd been looking through in frustration. None of the books were helpful. They barely had any information on guilds, let alone Fairy Tail.

Growling in annoyance, he took down another book from the shelf.

"Interesting reading choice, Natsu."

Natsu swung around to see Zeref there, casually leaning against a bookshelf. "Zeref? What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you. Where have you been for the past day?"

Natsu grinned sheepishly. "I was…..distracted."

"So I heard," Zeref's eyes darkened with anger and Natsu resisted the urge to take a step back. "You aren't hiding anything from me, are you, Natsu?"

Natsu shifted uneasily. Zeref couldn't know about him and Lucy…..could he? "No, of course not."

"Good," Zeref practically snarled. Every instinct Natsu possessed was screaming at him to get out of there, that this was dangerous, but he didn't move a muscle. Zeref had never hurt him before, there was no way he would….

"Here." Natsu jumped as Zeref slammed down a small black box on the table in front of him. "Make sure this reached Lady Juvia."

Natsu's eyes widened. "Is this-"

"Yes."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Juvia glared darkly at the offending black box sitting innocently on her dresser.

Minutes earlier, she had come in from her fitting, only to see the box accompanied with a note from Natsu.

It was clear and simple. The box was containing her engagement ring, and she was to wear it.

Gingerly, Juvia opened the box.

The ring was very beautiful. It was a slim gold band inlaid with a circlet of diamonds.

 _I hate diamonds_ , Juvia thought sourly. _Stupid, flashy, overrated things…_

Juvia really didn't want to admit to herself that the reason she claimed to hate diamonds was because they were on her engagement ring.

She _really_ didn't.

The door opened. "Juvia?"

Startled, Juvia dropped the box as she spun around. "Gray-sama?"

He smiled apologetically. "Sorry did I startle you?"

"It's fine. Is there something you needed?"

"Natsu was asking if you received what he had left for you?"

Juvia immediately panicked. "Oh no, the ring?"

Gray blinked. "Ring?"

Looking around, Juvia spotted the box but the ring had fallen out. "Yes, the engagement ring," She didn't notice Gray's eyes flash with jealousy. "I dropped it…."

Gray looked down at the floor and saw the golden band lying near his feet. He picked it up and turned it over in his hand.

"Is this it?"

Juvia looked relieved. "Yes, thank you."

"Then allow me."

"Wha-"

In a swift motion, Gray was in front of her. Juvia started and was about to step away when he took her left hand.

 _Thump, thump,_ went Juvia's treacherous heart as he drew soothing circles over the back of her hand with the pad of his thumb. She drew in her breath sharply and at the gentle caress, her cheeks flushing.

Smoothly, Gray slid the band over her ring finger. He looked up, and his dark eyes met hers, a subtle flame smoldering within them.

Juvia's heart was pounding so hard that she feared it might burst out of her chest. Her entire body felt like it had been lit on fire and electrified simultaneously.

And he was only holding her hand!

Finally, Gray let go and turned casually to the door as if nothing had happened.

"I'll be off, then."

He left, shutting the door behind him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Zeref slammed the door of his study behind him and strode over to his desk.

He was positively seething in rage. How _could_ Natsu betray him like that-and simply look him coolly in the eye and act as if he had done nothing wrong…..?!

That day, when he had let Lucy Heartfilia go, he had silently shadowed her to see what she would do.

Lucy had run into Natsu, and judging from the way they had interacted, it was obvious that they were in love.

Zeref had suspected for some time that his brother might have feelings for someone. That's why he had brought Juvia Lockser in. Marrying him off to someone would be the quickest and most effective way to distract him.

But Zeref had never imagined that he would fall for Lucy Heartfilia of all people. And it was bad. Really bad. If things went on as they were, the prophecy would come to pass and Lucy would kill Natsu, as foretold.

Zeref's eyes narrowed. "I won't allow her to get near him."

He glanced at a certain leather bound book lying on his desk.

"And if Natsu continues to defy me, I'll have to deal with him, as well."

 **(A/N): Sorry for the long wait, but here's the fifteenth chapter, finally. Thanks for sticking with me, you guys and thanks for the sweet and lovely reviews! You have no idea you happy you make me with those little comments. Please continue to R &R this story, there's a lot more to come! (I suspect you might like the next chapter. *wink wink*)**

 _ **Next Time: Attraction**_

 **See you all soon!**


	18. Attraction

**Chapter-16**

 **Attraction**

Close to dinnertime, Gray leaned against the wall next to Natsu's room, feeling highly annoyed with himself.

Why had he done that? Putting the ring on Juvia's finger-Gray flushed hotly at the thought-what on Earthland would Natsu say? Well, that really didn't matter, Natsu wouldn't give a damn about it.

But the act had been strangely queer-it wasn't like they had kissed or anything, but it had had a strange, symbolic kind of intimacy about it.

And that worried Gray. It was like they were standing at the brink of an abyss, and if they took a step forward, they would be plunging straight into the unknown.

 _This-_ whatever _this_ was-had to stop. It was dangerous and forbidden and Gray honestly didn't want to make the same mistake as Natsu had.

Natsu's door opened and the dragon slayer stepped out, looking mopey and tired. "Yo. Ready to grab dinner?"

Gray nodded. "Did you find anything about Fairy Tail?"

"No," Natsu said, stifling a yawn. "I'll try again tomorrow. Where's Juvia?"

"No clue," Gray said a little defensively. "Why are you asking me, anyway?"

Natsu stifled another yawn as he replied. "'Cause, the two of you are ALWAYS together," He said casually. "And you're so much in love with each other that it's sickening."

Gray sputtered. " _Love_?! Hello, we've only known each other for two weeks!"

Natsu gave him a pitying look (which, coming from him, was honestly insulting) and said patronizingly, "That should be enough with all the electricity and all that cheesy stuff sparking between you guys."

Gray didn't reply, but thought it over as they went down to dinner. There was no way it was love of all things. Attraction Gray could understand, Juvia was a beautiful woman after all. But _love_? Ridiculous. And she was engaged to Natsu. He shouldn't have even been looking at her that way!

Juvia didn't show up for dinner that night. When Natsu went to check on her, there was no response.

 _I probably overstepped a boundary with her,_ Gray thought gloomily. _I'm never doing that again…_

Castle patrol lasted way past midnight that day. Gray felt exhausted as he flung himself into bed, but all the same, was unable to sleep. He remembered the last time Juvia had disappeared before dinner, she had had a panic attack, and he had comforted her.

And she had fit so snugly into his arms and her voice as she whispered to him was vulnerable and shaky, so different from her normal cold nature.

" _You feel warm."_

Gray groaned and buried his face in the pillow.

It was going to be a long night.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Next morning at breakfast, Juvia, Natsu and Gray were the only ones in the dining hall.

"So where were you yesterday?" Natsu asked Juvia, shoveling eggs into his mouth.

"I was writing to Master Jose," She replied. "I lost track of time and missed dinner. And I went to bed a bit early, so-"

Juvia nervously twisted the ring on her hand. That wasn't the real reason, of course. She just wasn't sure how she was supposed to interact with Gray after what had happened. They had been _so_ close. So close, that if she'd just leaned further in, then-

 _Bad Juvia!_ She scolded herself, her cheeks turning red. _Don't think of such things!_

Gray didn't miss the way Juvia studiously avoided looking at him, nor the way she was playing with her ring.

 _I knew it,_ Gray dropped his head into his hands with a groan. _I really did go too far._

Meanwhile, Natsu looked back and forth between Gray and Juvia, bewildered. _Did I miss something? They're acting really strange…damn, I always feel like a third wheel around these two._

He pushed his empty plate away and stood up. "I'm going to the library," Natsu said hastily. "Don't follow me."

Gray jumped up. "Natsu, wait!"

But he was already gone.

Gray turned slowly and looked at Juvia who stared at him in blank dismay. "….should we follow him?" She questioned hesitantly.

"It won't be any use," Gray sighed, inwardly cursing Natsu for leaving him alone with Juvia. Now he would be forced to entertain her. "Let's go outside."

By the time they were outside, Juvia seemed to have relaxed somewhat. Feeling lame, Gray spoke up.

"So…..what do you want to do?"

"Nothing in particular…"

Gray huffed in exasperation. She was _not_ making this easy for him. Still, he supposed she couldn't be blamed.

"Do you want to go see the armory?" He offered. "There's a bunch of interesting stuff in there."

Juvia seemed to perk up a little at this. "Sure!" She said, a trifle more enthusiastic than before.

It was a ten minute walk to the armory. Gray shut the heavy doors behind them and watched in satisfaction and Juvia gazed around in curiosity.

"Are all of these magic weapons?" Juvia took down a huge sword from a shelf and turned it over in her hands.

Gray nodded. "Yeah. The Emperor only has mages in his army, so there's no need for non magical weapons."

"I see. By the way," Juvia turned and glanced at the silver cross necklace that Gray always wore. "I've never seen you take that off. Is there some special reason behind it?"

Gray glanced down at the necklace and hesitated. Juvia pouted slightly upon seeing his reluctance.

"You've wormed out so much information about Juvia," She grumbled. "Tell me something about yourself for once."

Gray felt his cheeks warm at her words. Coughing awkwardly, he turned his face in an attempt to hide his blush.

"Alright then. What do you want to know?"

Juvia blinked. She hadn't expected him to give in so easily. "Your….childhood, perhaps?"

"Right." Gray drew in a long breath, preparing himself for a long conversation.

"I was born in the Northern Mountains of Fiore. My parents were Mika and Silver Fullbuster. Everything was pretty much perfect, until my seventh birthday."

Juvia frowned slightly, wondering if asking him to share his past was a good idea, after all.

"Have you ever head of the Demons of the books of Zeref?"

"Yes…they're monsters that Zeref created himself, aren't they?"

"Yeah. There was one in particular, called Deliora, the Demon of Destruction."

Gray stared off into the distance, clenching his fists.

"He was already wrecking havoc in many towns around Fiore. It wasn't long before he reached our village.

"Mom and Dad were strong mages and held up well against Deliora. Dad in particular was an Ice Devil Slayer. But eventually, they lost the fight and were killed by Deliora."

Juvia's eyes were wide. She herself had a hard childhood, but it was nothing like _this_.

"I was trapped under the pile of rubble our house had been reduced to," Gray continued. "I nearly died, but I was eventually rescued by a woman named Ur Milkovich."

"Ur was an incredibly powerful Ice Make Mage. She took me under her wing and started to teach me the basics of Ice Magic, along with her daughter Ultear and a fellow pupil, Lyon.

"Eventually, rumors about Deliora began to rise. We heard that he was in a neighboring town."

Gray looked down, his bangs casting a shadow over his face.

"I was a stupid, hot headed idiot. I was determined to get revenge for my parents. Even though the others tried to stop me, I went after Deliora myself anyway.

"He nearly killed me. Ur and the rest arrived just in time and saved me. But there was no escaping just then. Deliora had noticed us.

"Ur decided there was no other option than fighting. But Deliora was just too strong, even for her. She used a powerful spell called Iced Shell. It can trap the enemy's body in eternal ice. But at doing so, the user has to give up their own life."

Juvia gasped. "No way….."

"Yeah. Ur died," Gray laughed humorlessly. "And I might as well have dug her grave myself."

"No," Juvia said suddenly. Gray looked at her in surprise. "Gray-sama was only a child. He couldn't have known."

Besides, she had seen the love and pride that shone in his eyes while speaking of his mentor. There was no way that he would've done it if he had known the consequences.

Gray smiled then-a soft, rare smile that Juvia had never seen before. "Thanks, Juvia. That means a lot to me.

"Ultear was incredibly angry and resentful-which was to be expected. She hated me like the plague. She got involved in some bad stuff-but Lyon and I managed to drag her out of it. In the end, we all forgave each other."

"I'm glad to hear that. I was wondering….how did you meet the Prince?"

Gray smirked slightly. "I was around 12 at the time. I ended up in Magnolia, looking for work and food and by chance, I ran into Natsu."

"Let me guess," Juvia smiled playfully. "You started fighting on the spot."

He laughed. "Good guess. And then Erza-Erza Scarlet that is, you might've heard of her-appeared out of nowhere, bashed our heads together and ordered us to stop fighting.

"Oddly enough, the three of us became the best of friends. Zeref, seeing how close Natsu and I were, invited me to live in the castle. A few years later, I was promoted to bodyguard, And that was that."

Juvia frowned. "I don't understand, though."

"Understand what?"

"Your parents were killed by demons of Zeref, so why do you were for Zeref himself?"

Gray paused. "Good question. Well, the truth is-I was worried about Natsu. I didn't trust Zeref not to hurt him. And there seems to be a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes. Like the attack on the Heartfilia empire, it was totally uncalled for. And the banning of guilds, too. I came to see what exactly was going on. Natsu trusts Zeref-and I'm afraid that Zeref might take advantage of that. I can't let that happen. Natsu is like my brother, after all. You're not to tell him that, though."

Juvia laughed. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

It was the first time he had heard her laugh. The sound was sweet, pure and musical, making Gray feel as if he had stumbled upon a gold mine.

Chuckling, he moved close and brushed a lock of hair from her face. "You're adorable, you know that?"

A hot flush crept up Juvia's neck. He was close. _Way_ too close. Her first impulse was to push him away, but his touch on her cheek made her feel like she'd been struck with lightning.

He was so painfully, intoxicatingly close…..

All rational thought was lost as his lips crashed down onto hers.

 **(A/N): *evil laughter***

 **Thank you for all the lovely reviews and sorry for the wait! Hope you enjoyed this chapter~**

 _ **Next Time: Phantom Lord**_


	19. Phantom Lord

**Chapter-17**

 **Phantom Lord**

All rational thought was lost as his lips crashed down upon hers.

Blindly, Juvia clutched at Gray's shirt as she felt her knees buckle beneath her. What was going on? Why was Gray kissing her? _And why the hell did she like it?!_

Her mind was blank. His kiss was sweet and hesitant, sending fire coursing through her veins. Something inside Juvia told her that she should pull away, that this wasn't right, but she couldn't. She simply _couldn't_.

Wrapping his arms around her slim frame, Gray pulled Juvia closer and deepened the kiss. Feeling her gasp softly against his lips, he closed his eyes in pleasure. Kissing her was far better than he could have ever imagined. And she didn't seem to be too unwilling either; leaning into the kiss slowly, tentatively.

Reluctantly, Gray pulled away slightly and looked at her. Juvia's eyes were half-lidded, her cheeks darkly flushed.

Gray wondered if her heart was beating as fast as his was.

 _I shouldn't be doing this. She's engaged to someone else. She might not even want this. I'm not in love with her. At least, I think I'm not. Anyway, we shouldn't be doing this-_

"…..Gray-sama?" Juvia asked quietly.

 _Ah, screw it._

He kissed her again, this time without any hesitation. Juvia responded almost immediately, her hands fisting in his shirt as she kissed him back.

It was like being in heaven, Juvia thought dazedly. The caress of his lips against hers was far softer and gentler than she could've ever thought (not that she had imagined this, of course!) and no matter how much the logical side of her protested, Juvia simply didn't want to pull away. She didn't want to stop. Ever. It was the first time she had allowed a man to touch her like this. And she definitely wasn't regretting it.

It was a perfect, sweet moment. Like something out of a fairy tale.

And then that moment ended.

The door of the armory burst open. "Gray!"

The two jerked apart as if they'd been burned. Natsu froze in the doorway, his eyes widening comically. Slowly, he backed away.

"…don't mind me, okay? Sorry about this."

He quickly left the room and shut the door. Gray and Juvia stared after him, speechless.

"….I'll go see what he wanted," Gray muttered finally. Turning his head so she couldn't see the flush on his cheeks, he stalked away, vowing silently to kill Natsu in the most painful and brutal way possible.

Juvia gazed after his retreating form and slowly touched her tingling lips, a deep blush spreading across her face.

What had she done? What had _they_ done?

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Natsu ran down the path to the castle, feeling quite horrified about what he'd witnessed. He had thought Gray and Juvia was just flirting around with each other but it was evidently more.

"Unbelievable," He muttered under his breath. "Un-freaking-believable. Gray's gonna kill me, and I actually can't blame him this time-

"Natsu!"

The Dragon Slayer in question snapped out of his ramblings and saw Wendy hurrying up the path, followed by Carla. "Have you seen Gray and Juvia today?"

"Yeah, they're in the armory," Natsu responded automatically, and could've kicked himself. "Uh, I mean-"

"Okay, then," Wendy nodded. "I found a book on Water and Ice Mages. I want to show it to them…"

"No!" Natsu blurted out. "You can't go there!"

Wendy blinked and Carla looked suspicious. "Why not?"

"Because-because-" Natsu floundered and searched desperately for an excuse.

Wendy smiled sweetly, now feeling curious. "I won't take long, Natsu."

She walked down the path, humming softly under her breath. Natsu followed helplessly, trying to think of a way to stop her, without getting her suspicious.

 _I wonder what it is that Natsu doesn't want me to see._ Wendy wondered. She glanced at Carla, who shrugged, seeming as clueless as she was.

Suddenly, there was a loud beeping noise. Wendy stopped short and fished a communication lacrima out of her pocket.

"Who's callin' you?" Natsu asked curiously. Wendy didn't answer and exchanged a worried look with Carla. Neither of them noticed Natsu peering at the screen.

Why was the guild calling now? They knew Wendy and Carla were at the castle, there was a chance of her getting caught. Unless there was an emergency….

Wendy quickly answered the call.

On the screen of the lacrima, Romeo Conbolt, a member of Fairy Tail who was Wendy's age appeared. Wendy gasped upon seeing his face, it was dotted with bruises and cuts.

"Romeo! What happened to you?!"

 _Who's that?_ Natsu wondered.

"It's Phantom Lord," Romeo told her shortly. "They've attacked us. Come to Fairy Tail immediately!"

The screen went black. Wendy stared at it in horror, her hands shaking.

"Fairy Tail?" Natsu's voice was strained and queer. "You're in Fairy Tail, Wendy

The Sky Dragon Slayer didn't answer.

"Wendy!"

"I'm sorry," She mumbled finally. "I'm so sorry. I'll explain later."

Carla caught hold of her and launched into the sky. In minutes, they were out of sight.

Natsu stood there, motionless.

Phantom Lord.

Fairy Tail.

There was a war between the two guilds.

And Lucy, _his_ Lucy was in danger.

The world became a blur of crimson through his eyes. Natsu let out an inhuman sounding snarl. If anything happened to _his_ Lucy, then, damnit, the world was going to burn.

And Natsu wouldn't leave a single person standing.

"Natsu!"

He swung around with a scowl, only to be met with a fist in his face. Reeling back from the unexpected attack, Natsu almost lost his footing and rolled down the path.

Natsu snapped out of the haze he had sunk into and saw Gray standing before him, looking annoyed.

"What the hell, Ice-head?"

"That was for before," Gray said pointedly. "From now on, knock before entering."

"From now on," Natsu said snarkily. "Actually lock the door before you decide to make out with a girl."

"Why aren't you a little more worried about this?" Gray asked exasperatedly. "She's your fiancée."

"She's like a sister to me," Natsu said patiently. "I didn't exact ask for this, you know. Zeref won't let me back out of it. Besides, you're in love with her, so go for it, yeah?"

"I am _not_ in love with her."

"Sure, whatever you say."

Natsu sobered up a bit. Wendy was a part of Fairy Tail. And, according to the guy who called her, the guild was on attack. Where was Lucy? Was she okay?

Natsu closed his eyes and prayed inwardly.

 _Lucy, stay safe. Don't go dying on me now, you hear?_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

When Wendy stepped onto the Entrance Circle, instead of teleporting her to the main hall, it took her to a heavily warded backroom where a harried looking Levy and a stressed Lucy were hiding.

Before Wendy could speak, Levy began to fill her in.

"They attacked about half an hour ago. Jose Porla managed to break through all of our wards and barriers. The others are holding them off for now. I spelled the Circle to lead them to this room so that anyone coming in could be safe."

"I see," Wendy said. "Um…"

"Is something the matter?" Lucy asked.

"Natsu knows," Wendy said quietly. Lucy sucked in a breath sharply and Levy's eyes widened. "I'm sorry," She began to speak in a rush. "It was a total accident, he was there when Romeo called, and-"

"It's okay, Wendy," Levy interrupted. "We can take it up with the rest of the guild later. For now, we have to fight."

"Where's Romeo?"

"He's in the infirmary. He tried to fight Totomaru of the Element Four, but got ambushed by the other mages. He's fine, but in no condition to fight. Freed and I doubled the protection on the infirmary, so it should be okay."

Wendy sighed in relief. "Okay. I'll check on him later. Let's head out."

"Right." Lucy stood up. Levy sighed.

"Lu-chan, I told you-"

Lucy smiled grimly. "I'll have to face them sooner or later anyway. I can't stay here hiding like a coward."

Levy's eyes softened. "Alright, but please be careful."

"I will."

Whipping her pen out, Levy made a few quick motions. The wards on the door fell and it opened.

The guild hall was in chaos. The Phantom and Fairy Tail mages fought against each other, both sides giving as good as they got. For a moment, Lucy stood frozen, not knowing what to do. This was her first real battle. She could _die_ -

In a dark corner, Gajeel was evidently winning against one of the opposing force. Just as he finished off his opponent, another mage crept up behind him, weapon raised high.

With a snarl, Levy leapt into the fray, knocking the enemy over with a well placed _Solid Script: Fire_. Suddenly surrounded by enemies on all sides, the pair stood back to back as they defended themselves.

Lucy clutched her whip to her chest, a fire kindling in her eyes. This was no time to be frightened.

She had to fight.

Three wizards appeared, surrounding her on all sides. Lucy didn't budge, observing them all quietly.

"Well, well," The first man said with a disgusting leer. "What a pretty little thing you are," He reached out and grasped Lucy's chin, tugging her forward. "Don't you think so, guys?"

The other men nodded silently.

"Unhand me," Lucy said quietly. The man looked amused.

"Don't presume to tell me what to do, little girl."

Having enough, Lucy wrenched herself away and swung her whip in a wide arc. The men standing behind her took the most of the hit and staggered back. Lucy swung her whip again and got the first man neatly in the face. He sputtered indignantly and clutched at the injury she'd inflicted on him.

Lucy smiled coldly. "Don't underestimate me."

She brought out her keys and held them high. The man's eyes widened.

" _You_!"

"That's _Princess_ to you," Lucy said smoothly and slashed a key through the air. "Open, Gate of the Archer: Sagittarius!"

The zodiac spirit appeared in a blinding flash of light, that alerted the other wizards around the room.

"It's her!"

"Princess Lucy!"

"Get her!"

Lucy dodged the sudden amount of spell fire thrown at her and flung herself to the floor. _Uh oh. It's about twenty against one._ "Sagittarius!"

"I'm on it, Miss Lucy." He said, notching an arrow to his bow. As he fired it, it split into dozens of arrows of light, heading in all directions. Multiple cries struck the air as the Phantom Lord members who'd been hit went down.

"Thanks, Sagittarius," Lucy said as she got back onto her feet.

Sagittarius bowed. "I'm always glad to be of service, Miss Lucy."

He disappeared then. Lucy tucked her keys into her belt and looked up only to see that she was surrounded.

Lucy sighed and uncoiled her whip. "Here we go again…."

"Sky Dragon's _Roar_!"

Lucy stepped back in surprise as her would-be assailants were blasted into the walls by a huge column of wind. Wendy emerged, looking worried. "Are you alright, Lucy-san?"

"I'm fine, just a little scratched up is all," Lucy smiled. "Where are the others?"

"Everyone is doing their best to defeat the biggest threats of all," Wendy explained. "That is, the Element Four of Phantom Lord. Gajeel and Levy are fighting the Fire Mage, Totomaru. The Strauss Siblings are fighting the Earth Mage, Sol. And Erza-san is up against the Air Mage, Aria."

"You said Element _Four_ …..where is the fourth mage?"

"I have no idea. She might be hiding elsewhere."

"I see," Lucy said. She was about to speak again when Wendy gasped.

"Lucy-san! Behind you!"

Lucy swung around. There were a bunch of shades heading straight for her, in a mass of purplish-black dark energy.

Before she could move or run, it had her firmly within its grasp. She struggled and tried to break free, but it was no use.

The world around her was spinning, fast. Really, really fast…

" _LUCY-SAN!_ "

Everything turned to darkness.

 **(A/N): Don't you guys just** _ **love**_ **cliffhangers? :D**

 **Sorry for the long wait! And thank you all for the lovely and sweet reviews! They made me so happy~**

 _ **Next Time: The Rune of Love**_


	20. The Rune of Love

**Chapter-18**

 **The Rune of Love**

When Lucy woke up, she could instantly tell that something was wrong. It was cold. Really cold. Her entire body felt numb. And it was pitch black….

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Lucy became aware of something, or rather-someone.

The person came into view and Lucy sat up with a start. She knew without even having to think, that this was Jose Porla.

"Hello, Your Highness," Jose said smugly. "Are you feeling quite alright?"

"What have you done to me?!" Lucy spat.

"Ah, that would be the shades I sent after you. The aftereffects can be quite nasty."

"Where are we?"

"In the basement of Fairy Tail."A light was switched on.

It was a large, but plain room. The only thing particularly extraordinary about it was a huge cracked crystal lacrima in the corner.

Jose circled her in a predatory manner. "It's lovely to finally meet you, Princess. Though I'm sorry it had to be under such circumstances…all of this could've been avoided if Fairy Tail had simply surrendered and handed you over to me."

"As if they ever would." Lucy scoffed.

"True, true….." Jose mused. "I must say, Princess, you are completely wasted on them….such magic powers as yours ought to be cultivated and cared for…polished and perfected, like a diamond in the rough."

"If you're trying to flatter me, know this: you're failing. Miserably."

Jose chuckled. "A smart young woman, aren't you? Well, it is true that want your magic power for myself-don't look so horrified, dear. It's Lost Magic and you're the first Celestial Wizard in centuries since Anna Heartfilia to show such potential. So if I simply extract that magic from you-"

Lucy got to her feet. "So basically, you want to drain me of my magi and leave me for dead?"

Jose continued to smile. "Precisely, starting with your keys. This will hurt less if you don't resist, Princess."

Lucy paused for a minute. Then-

"Go to hell."

She pulled out a key and slashed it through the air, an incantation on her lips when Jose spoke.

"Would you like to see the full extent of your power, Lucy Heartfilia?"

"Huh?"

Jose murmured a few words in a strange language under his breath. Suddenly, his body glowed a dark purple, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Lucy looked around to see the broken lacrima glow white. Her own body lit up with a blinding gold, illuminating the entire room.

Lucy didn't look at that. She was gazing in surprise at her arm. Right under her wrist, a rune was painted, glowing silver.

"That is the Rune of Love," Jose spoke up. "It faded a long time ago, but it is still present on your body. Curious…..it must have appeared since I cast a spell to reveal all magic present in this room."

Lucy traced the rune as realization washed over her. "Mama…?"

"So it _was_ Layla Heartfilia who put it on you. Makes sense….it isn't active anymore since the caster is dead."

Lucy let go of her arm and turned back to him. "Why are you showing me this?"

Jose smiled evilly, dropping the spell. The glow faded.

"To make you realize just how valuable you are to me."

Lucy took a step back. Jose followed, a sneer on his face. "Let's not make this difficult, Princess. Hand over your keys to me."

"Over my dead body," Lucy hissed.

Jose's eyes became cold. "Then so be it."

With a wave of his hand, Lucy suddenly found herself shackled to wall. Before she could struggle or even try to escape, Jose appeared in front of her and neatly plucked the keys from her belt.

"Give them back." Lucy growled.

"No."

There was an odd sort of rage bubbling up inside of her. Along with the anger, came magic, spilling out of from every pore in her body. It was like a dam had burst open, and there was no going back now

Jose's eyes widened. The girl was absolutely sparking with magic.

"Impossible-!" He gasped. "This magic was supposed to have been locked away!"

Lucy's eyes flew open, a brilliant gold. She began to chant aloud in an eerie, cold voice.

" _Survey the heavens, open the heavens_

 _All stars, far and wide_

 _Show me thy perfection_

 _With such shine…"_

Jose chuckled nervously, backing away. "N-Now, P-Princess, you don't have to do this-"

Lucy continued to chant.

" _O Tetrabiblos_

 _I am the ruler of the stars_

 _Aspect became complete_

 _Open thy malevolent gate_

 _O 88 stars of heaven….._

 _Shine!_

 _URANO METRIA!"_

The entire room exploded. Jose found himself flying through the air, and into the wall with a sickening thud. The keys fell to the floor, the only objects in the room that had not been harmed.

Jose slowly got up, cradling a broken arm, a bloodied leg and a various cuts and bruises scattered across his body. He took one look at Lucy, who was still sparking with magic power and decided to get the hell out of there.

Activating a telepathy spell, Jose spoke into the minds of his guild members.

" _Everyone, retreat to the guild hall. Now!"_

Taking one last look at Lucy, he used his Shades to teleport out of there.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

When Levy felt the ground beneath her shake violently with immense magic power, she instantly knew that something was wrong.

Almost immediately, all of the Phantom Lord members began to teleport out of the building. Everyone stood in the places, looking around, confused.

"What's going on?" Wendy asked.

"Was that an earthquake?" Jet wondered.

"It came from the basement," Mavis whispered to Makarov. They quickly ran down. Levy followed.

It was perfect chaos. The room was destroyed completely and Lucy was shackled to the wall. Her body glowed with extreme magic as she writhed and screamed in agony.

"What's going on?" Levy gasped. "Lu-chan….what's happening to her?"

"It's a magic overload," Mavis said grimly. "I don't know how or why…it's nearly incurable…but if we don't stop it soon, then…"

A lump formed in Levy's throat.

"If we don't stop it…..?"

Makarov answered her gravely. "Lucy will die."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Natsu was sitting at his desk, absently debating whether or not to do his paperwork or leave it for tomorrow when it happened.

Sudden, burning, agonizing pain gripped his body. With a cry of shock and agony, he fell out of his chair.

His body lit on fire and tendrils of flame separated and caught onto the curtains. In what seemed like no time at all, the entire room was aflame. Natsu didn't register this at all. He was screaming in pain, flailing about on the floor, his fingers cutting into his wrists to draw blood as tears ran down his cheeks.

The door burst open. Gray stood in the doorway, Juvia behind him.

"What the hell?! Natsu, what's going on?!"

"I don't think he can hear us," Juvia said. She snapped her fingers and was surrounded by a protective bubble of water. Before Gray could protest, she was running through the flames towards Natsu.

"Natsu-san, can you hear me?" Juvia demanded worriedly. She placed a hand on his shoulders and hissed as she was almost blasted back.

" _Juvia!_ " Gray shouted.

"I'm fine!" She yelled back.

She turned back to Natsu and gripped his shoulders with both hands. Closing her eyes, she allowed her water magic to flow through him. The flames instantly started to die down and Natsu's screams ceased.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Suddenly, the gold faded from Lucy's eyes. The magic began to fade as well and the pain stopped.

Mavis and Makarov stared in amazement. They had been trying every spell and counter spell and goodness knows what on Lucy and it hadn't worked. When Levy had reached out to touch her, hoping that the sensation of a friend's warmth would bring her back to her senses, the Solid Script Mage had been flung into the wall.

And now…..it had just stopped.

It was mind-boggling.

Levy took a wary step forward. "Lu-chan?"

" _Juvia_ …" Lucy whispered hoarsely. Levy's eyes widened.

" _Thank…..you….._ "

The shackled around her wrists broke and she collapsed into Levy's waiting arms.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Natsu was fast asleep on a bed in the infirmary. The Healer bustled around, casting diagnostic and healing spells. There were several nobles gathered, muttering worriedly amongst themselves.

"Someone should tell Zeref-sama."

" _Who's_ going to?! He'll kill us for not preventing this!"

"He has to be told!"

"Well, you can do it. I'm not…"

Gray tugged at Juvia's sleeve. "Come on," He urged.

They snuck out of the infirmary, went down to Juvia's room and shut the door.

"Show me your hands."

Juvia held them out reluctantly. They were burned, but not too badly.

"You should have Wendy take a look at them, once she comes back," Gray advised. "Just to be sure."

"I'm fine," Juvia insisted. "It doesn't hurt at all."

"Sure," Gray said, clearly not believing her. Juvia frowned. Why did he always see through her so easily?

"What do you think happened out there?" Gay asked quietly. "It looked like a magic overload, but Natsu's never shown any symptoms before."

"It seemed like it stopped when I used my magic on him," Juvia said. "I was only trying to douse the flames, but…"

Gray sighed. "I don't understand it," He grumbled. "Natsu's always had perfect control over his magic. It's never gone out of control like this before."

"When do you think he'll awaken?"

"No clue."

Juvia looked down at the burns on her hands.

For a minute, when she been touching Natsu…she could've sworn she heard a soft voice calling her name.

It had said….. _thank you_.

 **(A/N): Sorry for the late update! I hope this chapter made up for it. Thank you all for your amazing reviews. I really appreciated it!**

 **Keep the Rune of Love in mind. It's gonna show up soon….well, kinda. And also remember: this is the beginning of Jose's destruction. Lucy started it, and Juvia's gonna end it. *evil laugh***

 _ **Next Time: Demon**_

 **See you soon!**


	21. Demon

**Chapter-19**

 **Demon**

 _Lucy stood on the brink of an abyss, gazing down into the dark, fathomless depths below. She felt unsettled. Where was she? Her place was at Fairy Tail, among her guildmates; not in this deserted, lonely place where not a single soul could be seen._

" _Lucy."_

 _The voice that called her was familiar. Lucy turned slowly, her eyes widening when she saw the person who had spoken her name._

" _Natsu!"_

 _She began to run forward, and then stopped._

 _He looked like Natsu….but it couldn't be him, could it? Same pink hair, same onyx eyes….only, those eyes were cold and empty, with not a hint of the usual warmth that resided within them. The smile on his face was insincere and, most disturbing of all…..his trademark scarf was missing._

" _You're not Natsu," Lucy said slowly. "Who are you?"_

 _He gave her an unsettling grin. "Come on, Luce, don't you recognize me? I_ _ **am**_ _Natsu, who else would I be?"_

" _Liar," Lucy said shakily. "If you really_ _ **are**_ _Natsu, then where is your scarf?"_

 _His smirk faltered. Reassured now that he really wasn't her Natsu, Lucy continued. "Natsu's eyes are always warm and comforting. Yours aren't at all! I know Natsu. You'll never be able to fool me."_

 _The imposter shrugged. "Alright, you've got me," He said casually. "I'm not the Natsu you know. But I am a part of him."_

" _What are you-"_

 _He took a few steps forward. "I'm the part of Natsu that nobody knows about. I'm the part that can take lives without hesitation. I'm the part of him that could put a person through eternal torture, just because I could."_

 _Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Do you take me for a fool?! Natsu would never-!"_

 _The imposter came closer and cut through whatever she had to say. "You claim that you love us. All of Natsu. But that's a lie. I know just how dangerous you are."_

 _He reached up and touched Lucy's cheek, brushing a stray curl away. Lucy shuddered in repulsion as cold from his touch seeped into her skin._

" _Stay away from us," He hissed. "Or you will regret it. And so will the Natsu you 'love'."_

 _Lucy pushed him away, a fierce scowl on her face. "As if I'll listen to a liar such as yourself."_

 _His eyes twinkled in amusement. Lucy shrank back as he brought his face closer to hers and whispered silkily in her ear._

" _Do as you please. But remember, my dear Lucy…..if you play with fire, you'll be burned."_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lucy awoke with a gasp, to the infirmary in Fairy Tail. She looked around hastily, wide panic in her eyes and once she realized her surroundings, slumped back against the pillows in relief.

"A dream.." She whispered hoarsely and winced. Her throat felt parched and dry, and her entire body ached. "What the hell happened?"

The most important question, though was, what the hell was that dream? Or _was_ it a dream? Lucy shivered violently and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

The door opened and Mirajane came in, carrying a jug of water and a glass. She smiled happily upon seeing that Lucy was awake.

"How are you feeling?" Mira asked cheerily as she poured a glass of water and handed it to Lucy, who drank thankfully.

"Like I was run over by a train," She said wryly after downing a second glass. "What happened?"

Mira frowned. "You don't remember? You used a spell that was too much for you and had a magic overload."

"Magic overload?" Lucy furrowed her brow. Why did the term sound so familiar?

Suddenly, Lucy lurched forward, clutching at her head as a wave of pain and nausea washed over her.

"Lucy!"

"D-Damnit-!" Lucy muttered. "This is so- _not_ -the time-"

 _-Flashback-_

" _Juvia!" An eight year old Lucy burst through the doors of the bedroom they shared. Juvia looked up from where she was embroidering a handkerchief, startled._

" _Is there something wrong, Princess?"_

 _Lucy shook her head and held out her arm. "Look what Mama drew on me!"_

 _A rune was painted on Lucy's arm, glowing silver. Juvia peered at it curiously. "What does it mean, Princess?"_

 _Lucy plopped down next to her. "Mama said it's the Rune of Love. She said it will fade after sometime, but its power will always remain, so I can keep her in my heart, always."_

 _Juvia smiled softly. "That sounds nice."_

 _Lucy gazed at her contemplatively and then spoke. "Hey, Juvia, give me your hand."_

" _E-Eh? Why?"_

" _Just do it!"_

 _Juvia held out her hand. Lucy bent over it and began to trace a rune on the skin, focusing all the magic power she could muster._

 _Juvia gasped as she felt her body fill with warmth. "P-Princess, what are you doing?"_

" _Done!" Lucy straightened and beamed triumphantly at her. Juvia stared at the golden rune painted on her arm._

" _That is the Rune of Protection," Lucy said. "I'll always protect you, no matter what, Juvia!"_

 _Juvia's eyes filled with tears and she reached out and hugged Lucy._

" _Thank you, Princess."_

 _-End of Flashback-_

"I'm such a liar…." Lucy blinked away the tears that sprung to her eyes. "In the end, she was the one who saved me….."

"Lucy?" Mirajane asked in concern. The Celestial Mage smiled up brightly at her.

"I'm fine, Mira. Just a bit nauseous, is all."

"I'll call Wendy, then."

"Wait!" Lucy called after her. "How long was I out?"

"Three days."

"I see. Thank you."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Juvia was in the rose garden when Gray decided to seek her out. As she felt his footsteps approaching, a deep flush spread over her cheeks.

She had almost forgotten it in light of everything that happened, but they _had_ kissed, hadn't they? How was she supposed to face him now? Pretend that it had never happened? Yes, that seemed to be the safest option. She would forget about how soft his lips had felt against hers, about his stupidly intoxicating scent, and, and…. _damn_ , it wasn't working.

"How's Natsu-san?" Juvia asked, feeling this was the safest topic of conversation.

"Actually, that's why I came to find you," Gray said, a wry smile on his face. He hadn't missed the pink tinge her face had taken when she spoke. Seeing how adorably embarrassed she was made him feel flustered, too; and _damnit_ , Gray Fullbuster did NOT get flustered.

"Is he awake, then?"

"Yeah."

They hurried to the infirmary and caught Natsu red-handed as he was attempting to get out of bed. The dragon slayer looked up guiltily when he saw them.

"Moron!" Gray snapped. "You're not supposed to be out of bed!"

"I feel fine!" Natsu protested and cringed as a wave of pain swept over him, as if on cue.

"You do not," Gray said. "Get your ass back into bed before I punch your lights out."

"Don't mind Gray-sama, Natsu-san," Juvia interjected slyly. "This is his way of showing he cares."

Gray turned red. "D-Don't assume things!"

"Guys," Natsu groaned, flopping down on the bed. "Please take your flirting somewhere else."

"We're not flirting!"

At that moment, there were footsteps and a wild, disheveled looking Zeref burst into the infirmary.

Looking around frantically, he spotted Natsu and his eyes softened.

"Natsu….." He whispered and then lurched forward, catching him into an embrace. Natsu's eyes went wide. He hadn't been prepared for this show of affection, especially after their confrontation in the library.

"You scared the hell out of me," Zeref murmured. "Please, never do that again."

Natsu remained silent.

Zeref's face darkened and he sighed.

 _It's too late for me, isn't it? Natsu might be a demon…but I'm a_ _ **monster**_ _._

 **(A/N): Wow, I actually updated on time. What a miracle!**

 **Thank you all for your reviews as usual. Stay tuned for the next chapter, we'll see Natsu/Gray brotp, Gruvia and…ANGST! Plenty of angst.** **Who am I kidding this entire fic is full of angst anyway.**

 _ **Next Time: Tears and Frustration**_

 **See you soon!**


	22. Tears and Frustration

**Chapter-20**

 **Tears and Frustration**

 **Warning: Mentions of suicide.**

"Eh?" Wendy asked in surprise. "Natsu-san had a magic overload?"

"Yeah," Gray's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Where have you been for the past few days, Wendy?"

The Sky Dragon Slayer shifted uncomfortably. "Erm, I had to take care of a friend of mine, who, er, was sick."

Well, that really wasn't a lie. She _had_ been watching over Lucy for the past couple of days, until she awakened. The more concerning question was, why did Natsu and Lucy _both_ get a magic overload at the same time? Was it just a coincidence? It had to be, right?

"I'll go visit Natsu," Wendy said quickly and ran past Gray.

 _Gray-san's getting suspicious. I should probably try and avoid him for some time, after all, I can't risk him finding out._

She glanced outside a window she passed and shivered.

 _Such dark, ominous clouds. Something sinister is in the air._

"How are you doing, Natsu-san?" Wendy asked cheerily as she strode through the infirmary.

"Wendy! Is Lucy okay?!"

 _Straight to the point, huh?_ Wendy forced a smile, doing her best to shake off the nagging feeling that something was off in the castle. "Thankfully, she's fine. You would be interested to know that she had a magic overload, as well."

Natsu's eyes widened. "Wha-how?!"

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence." Wendy assured, leaving off the part where Lucy had almost died. After all, if she told Natsu that, he would probably go on a rampage.

"Wendy, I-" Natsu looked at her pleadingly. Wendy felt her heart hurt at the pained look on his face. Those two….were really hurting, weren't they? "I need to see her. Please. At least, let me send her a message or something."

"Natsu, I have a suggestion," Wendy said, now looking nervous. "I probably should have talked it over with the others first, but maybe it _is_ best if I ask you before all that."

"What are you talking about?"

"Natsu, do you want to join Fairy Tail?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

When Gray went to check on Natsu a few hours later, he found the Fire Dragon Slayer looking cheerful and energetic, despite being stuck in a bed without anything to do.

"You look better," Gray observed. "Did Wendy leave already?"

"Yeah," Natsu said vaguely. "She had something to take care of."

"It always seems like that, these days. I wonder if she's hiding something from us."

"I'm sure it's nothing. Have you seen Juvia around?"

"Actually, I haven't seen her since yesterday," Gray admitted. "She's probably been stuck in her room all day."

Despite his casual tone, Gray was worried. Like Wendy, he couldn't fight the feeling that something was seriously off in the castle. He tried to tell himself that it was nothing, but to no avail.

Natsu took a look at his worried expression and sighed. "Go check on her."

"Eh?"

"Just shut up and go. I know you want to."

Gray blushed, mumbled something rude and left the room.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

 _He had grey eyes._

 _The ground was splattered with blood, dripping from the wound in the young boy's shoulder. How old was he? Fourteen? Fifteen?_

 _He raised his uninjured arm to fire a magic attack, only to falter when he realized he had no power left._

 _Juvia took a step forward. The boy backed away, until he hit a wall._

 _Juvia wasn't sure why she had been sent out to kill him. He was only a boy, at least four years younger than her. Why? Why?_

 _He had grey eyes. Wide, panicked and full of fear._

 _The boy was terrified now. Slumping to the ground, he begged her for mercy. Begged her to spare his life. Juvia stared at him, clenching her fists._

 _This was wrong. This was so wrong._

 _Where were his parents? Why weren't they here, protecting him? That was what parents did, right? Juvia wouldn't know, she'd never had any._

 _What about his friends? Did he have any siblings, maybe? Or was he alone, just like her?_

 _Tears streamed down Juvia's face as she brought her water whip down. It was a clean strike, and he died almost instantly._

 _He had grey eyes. Dull, now; and lifeless._

 _It was raining now, the rain falling in heavy torrents as lightening flashed across the sky. Juvia stood there, motionless, even as the rain soaked her to the core. That was how Totomaru found her, half an hour later. He sighed, too used to this by now._

" _You're a mess, Juvia."_

 _She didn't respond._

" _C'mon, let's go back to Phantom Lord."_

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Stupid Natsu," Gray grumbled as he exited the infirmary and walked down the corridor. "What the hell does he know….?"

" _Gray! Gray Fullbuster!"_

Something tugged at his jacket. Gray turned and saw a little girl, about ten or so, clinging to him. She had golden hair and her face was strangely blurred; he couldn't make it out. She was dressed completely in pink and there was a strange, unearthly aura about her.

Gray blinked. "Are you lost, kid?"

" _You have to help her,"_ the girl said urgently. _"She's in great danger. Go, now!"_

"Wha-? Who's in danger?"

The girl grew impatient. _"The rain! Do you not see it?!"_

"The rain…..?" Gray turned and looked out of the window.

It was a regular storm out there. How had he not noticed it before? And why on Earthland was it raining so much? It wasn't even the season-

Juvia's words echoed in his mind.

" _It had more to do with my emotions, than anything else."_

Gray looked at the girl. "Juvia is….."

She nodded. _"Yes! Please go, you're the only who can save her!"_

Gray needed no further urging and took off, leaving the girl behind.

 _Juvia…..!_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Juvia gazed up dully at the ceiling in her room. She had just planned to have a nap before lunch, but _this_ had happened. It was one of those memories, again.

She remembered the faces of every single person she had killed. The guilt of it weighed her down day after day, until she felt like she was about to lose her mind.

"I'm sorry," Juvia murmured, not for the first time.

She had done what she had to. Master Jose had taken her in and given her a place t stay. Surely, killing off his enemies was the least she could do, even if her spirit was too weak to bear the weight of the guilt.

 _Strong. I have to be strong. I can't show any weakness._

But Juvia knew better. She was anything but strong, wasn't she?

 _Useless._

 _Weak._

 _Pathetic._

The voices of the people she had killed seemed to join in with her conscience.

 _How could you do it?!_

 _How heartless are you?!_

 _MONSTER!_

"That's right," Juvia said, sitting up. "I'm a monster."

 _You're better off dead._

"Yes, I am."

Juvia reached out to the table beside her bed and gripped a small blade lying on it's surface. She felt it slice into her palm. It was small, but it would do.

"I'll do it," Juvia whispered.

She positioned her wrist and held the knife high.

She never noticed the rune beneath her sleeve, glowing brightly.

Closing her eyes, Juvia prepared for the blow.

"I'll kill the monster."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Huh…? There was no pain. Actually, had her hand even moved? Focusing through the haze that seemed to cloak her, Juvia felt something gripping her hand, the one which held the blade.

 _Someone….._

Juvia opened her eyes.

Gray hovered over her, beads of sweat running down his face as he pushed her hand away. Juvia stared up at him dully.

" _You idiot!"_

He was furious, Juvia noted. She should have expected something like this. After all, she'd always had the worst luck.

" _What the hell were you thinking?!_ " Gray's voice shook slightly. "You could've-you could've-"

Juvia's fingers went slack and the blade clattered to the floor. Gray barely noticed this.

"Just- _why_?" Juvia winced at the pain in his voice. "Why would you try to do something like this? What was so bad that you'd-" He cut himself off.

Tears began to stream down Juvia's cheeks. She tried to stop them, but to no avail.

"You shouldn't have saved me," Juvia choked out. "I'm a monster. I'm _nothing_. I don't deserve to live. To be saved. I don't deserve any of it."

Gray's heart hurt at the sight of her. She was so utterly broken, almost beyond repair. Why? Why had it come to this?

He pulled her into an embrace, thinking of how ironically similar this was to the night a few days after she had arrived at the castle. Only this time, the situation was far more serious.

"I don't know who told you that," Gray muttered in her ear. "But you're none of those things. You're kind, and sweet, and cheerful, and strong, and-"

Juvia felt herself calming down slightly as he held her. _He really is like a protective charm,_ she thought. _But would he still feel that way after-after I've completed my mission….?_

"You-you really are warm," Juvia sighed softly, burying her face in his chest. She didn't deserve this, she knew. This comfort-this warmth-it made her heart ache….but in a good way, somehow. Even though this wouldn't last…even though…she would have to let go….

 _If only for a night…_

"Go to sleep," Juvia heard him murmur as he stroked her head gently. "We'll talk in the morning."

 _Juvia doesn't want the morning to come…._

She fell asleep listening to sound of his heartbeat.

 **(A/N): Phew! Writing this chapter was pretty emotionally draining! I hope you guys liked it!**

 _ **Next Time-Fragments of Memory**_


	23. Fragments of Memory

**Chapter-21**

 **Fragments of Memory**

Jose Porla paced across his office at dawn. The injuries Lucy Heartfilia dealt to him were healing slowly. Far too slowly. Well, such were the effects of Celestial Magic.

The attack on Fairy Tail had not gone as planned. Jose had expected capturing Lucy, an untrained mage to be easy. He had underestimated her. She was powerful, he could see that now. Just a threat to her beloved Celestial Spirits had sent her into a boiling rage, one that had nearly destroyed him.

And then, there was Juvia. Jose had purposely not brought her on the attack because he didn't want her coming in contact with Lucy. Out of everything that could trigger Juvia's memories, Lucy was by far the biggest threat.

Memory spells weren't perfect. They weren't easy to cast. It was difficult to manipulate a normal human's memories, let alone a powerful mages'.

And if Juvia remembered, all that Jose had worked towards would be in vain.

And if Juvia found out, then….

 _Surely, the force of her rage would be enough to destroy me._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

As the faint light of morning entered the room, Gray opened his eyes blearily and looked down at the girl in his arms.

Juvia looked deceptively peaceful and still in her sleep, but Gray knew better. She was broken beyond belief and there was a raging war in her soul. Gray knew how he had not realized it before, she was a flawless actor. She covered up her scars and cracks with distracting smiles and a cheerful persona.

 _I thought I knew her,_ Gray reflected silently. _But I couldn't have been farther from the truth. She has secrets, buried and hidden in the depths of her very essence._

Juvia stirred. Gray hastily let go of her as she sat up and looked around.

As the memories of the previous night came flooding back to her, Gray saw pain wash over her face before she shielded it with her usual impassive mask.

She turned to him.

"Gray-sama," Juvia began stiffly, but there was in her voice. "Thank you for your help last night and I apologize for inconvi-"

"You didn't," Gray interrupted her shortly. Juvia looked startled.

"H-Huh?"

"You didn't inconvenience me at all. Surely you've realized by now how much I care about you?"

Juvia looked genuinely puzzled at this. "Care about me…..? What do you mean?"

"We're…friends," Gray struggled a little as he said the word. He wasn't sure why saying that felt wrong, they _were_ friends, weren't they? "You can always rely on me. And I'll always do my best to help you out."

"But that is-"

"But _what_?!" Gray was angry, now. "Talk to me, Juvia! You nearly killed yourself last night! Do you know how I felt?!" He clenched his fists, recalling the burning agonizing fear that had swept over him, upon seeing her in that state. "You just can't brush it off and act like everything his normal, because it isn't!"

"That was an accident," Juvia argued weakly. "I lost control-"

"And what if it happens again?!" Gray demanded. "What if it happens, and I'm not there to stop you?"

Juvia spun around, unwilling to meet his gaze. "Why do you care?" She whispered brokenly.

"Because I just can't lose you, okay?!"

It became silent then. Gray stood up and watched as Juvia slowly turned back to him again, clutching the blanket to her chest.

"Just-" she rasped out. "Just leave."

For a moment, Gray almost refused, but then he saw the stubbornness in her face and scowled blackly.

"Fine," He snapped. "As you wish."

There was a soft thud as he left and shut the door behind him. Juvia hid her face in the sheets and drew in short, painful breaths.

All her life, she had shut people out, never allowing them to come close.

…..so why did pushing him away hurt so much?

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"I'm free!" Natsu cheered, fist pumping the air as he walked down to the sparring grounds, Gray close behind him. "No more staying bedridden! No more liquid-y foods! This is the best!"

"Yeah," Gray muttered sullenly. Natsu cast him a glance, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"So what's up?" Natsu prodded. "Had a fight with Juvia?"

Gray looked annoyed. "My entire life doesn't revolve around her, you know."

"I'll take that as a yes," Natsu said cheekily and grinned in satisfaction when Gray didn't deny it.

"Ah," Gray stopped as he finally remembered. The day before, he had been alerted about Juvia's situation by a mysterious child. Now that all the events had boiled over, he was curious as to who the child was.

Natsu stopped walking as well and glanced at him. "What's up?"

"Have you seen any kids around the castle?" Gray asked. "Maybe around ten or so, a girl with blonde hair and dressed in pink."

Natsu thought about it for a while and then shook his head. "Nope, not a clue. Maybe one of the servants' kids?"

Gray remembered the girl's extravagant clothing and shook his head. "I think she was the daughter of a noble-"

There was a faint sound, so soft that Gray nearly missed it.

A tinkling, melodious sound. Like the swishing of keys.

Gray wasn't sure why keys were the only things that came to mind. But he could almost see them, beautifully crafted golden keys jangling together.

Around the corner, he saw the girl. Her blonde bangs hung over her eyes, obscuring her face from him. She raised a tiny hand and beckoned to him.

"Err, you go on, Natsu," Gray said hastily. "I'll catch up to you later."

Natsu nodded. "Alright. I'll see you in the sparring grounds, then."

The minute he faded out of sight, Gray followed the girl and found her in an empty passageway. Upon seeing him, she bobbed a curtsey.

"Thank you for helping me, Gray Fullbuster. I trust that Juvia is safe?"

"She is," Gray said. "But…..just who are you? And how did you know what was going on?"

The girl sighed softly. "I am….a memory, you could say," She admitted. "13 years ago, the Heartfilia Castle stood on this land, before Zeref tore it down. I lived there before the war and I was forced to come back after it due to…certain circumstances. I had to leave, some time ago, but was too tied to this place. So, as you can see, a memory of me remains here. But not for long, I will disappear soon.

"Your magic must be strong, for such a solid memory of you to be left behind," Gray commented.

The girl smiled mysteriously. "You could say that. Still," Her expression sobered. "I cannot thank you enough for saving Juvia," She said sincerely. "She is very dear to me."

"You know her?"

"In a way, I do. I…..have to leave now. I am only a memory, so I cannot last for her. So, I ask you to watch over Juvia in my place."

Her form glowed and shimmered. Gray heard it again, the sound of keys jangling together, as stardust fell around the girl. She gave him a last, cryptic smile an then vanished.

Gray stared at the sparkles hovering mid air and exhaled.

"Easier said than done."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

 _It was a dark cliff, on the brink of an abyss. The sight was familiar to Natsu, although, not welcome. Footsteps sounded behind him and he let out a breathy sigh and plopped down on the ground._

" _You again," Natsu growled. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"_

" _Now, now, Natsu," A voice eerily similar to his spoke. "That's not very nice, you know. After all, I am a part of you."_

" _About that," Natsu stood up and turned around to face his….alter ego? Doppelganger? Weird person who looked just like him? Demon? He sure as hell looked like one. "I am_ _ **not**_ _a part of you," Natsu stressed. "Because I know myself pretty well and you sure as hell ain't me!"_

" _How…interesting," The doppelganger smirked, not at all perturbed by Natsu's aggression. "_ _ **She**_ _said the same thing the other day, you know?"_

 _Natsu stiffened. "'She'?"_

" _That pretty little thing. Lucy, I think her name was? I visited her in her dreams."_

" _You did what?!"_

" _She was quite feisty," the doppelganger continued. "Intriguing, and a Celestial mage to boot. I'll have plenty of fun with her. I wonder how long it'll take for her to break…" He paused and his smirk widened when Natsu let out an animalistic growl. "Oh my, that's quite a scary face. Are you going to attack me?"_

" _I sure as hell should!" Natsu snarled. "You lay_ _ **one**_ _finger on her and I'll turn you to ash."_

 _His voice grew darker and quieter._

" _And I, like Lucy,_ _ **never**_ _break my promises."_

" _Ah, but Natsu, you've forgotten one important thing." He paused for effect._

" _The two of us are halves of a whole. If I die, then you die, too. Keep that in mind, ne?"_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOO

Natsu woke with a start. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as a dark scowl clouded his features.

" _Damnit!"_

He reached out, punched the closest wall to his bed and slumped back against his pillows with a sigh.

 _Boy,_ that felt good.

The dreams had started over a year ago. They happened randomly and at any given time at all. They were not constant, something that Natsu was thankful for, since they left him cold, shaking, frankly terrified and unable to sleep.

Glancing out of the window at the crescent moon in the sky, Natsu guessed it was past midnight since none of the guards could be seen patrolling.

Jumping out of bed, he shrugged on a robe, grabbed his trusty scarf and left the room.

He was _definitely_ not getting anymore sleep that night.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Juvia awoke to tears running down her cheeks, the sheets in a tangled mess and her nightgown drenched in sweat.

Grasping around, she found a pillow and buried her face in it, trying to quell her sobs.

That had been the worst nightmare yet. After her fight with Gray ( _don't think about him,_ she had to keep reminding herself) they seemed to have come back in full force.

Oh God, it was becoming hard to breathe.

 _In and out, in and out;_ she told herself. _Feel the sheets, they're soft._

Finally getting herself under control, Juvia rolled onto her back and stared blankly at the ceiling. Once her breathing regulated, she slowly sat up and looked out of the window.

The sky was dark, with only the moon and a scattering of stars the light it. It was probably just an hour after .

Getting up, Juvia searched blindly for a robe. Unable to find one, she decided to go without and left the room.

She doubted se could feel colder than she already did, anyway.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Can't sleep?"

Juvia glanced around and saw Natsu, crouched on the floor in the hallway, leaning against the wall. He patted the spot next to him, smiling invitingly. Juvia returned his smile with a forced one and walked over and sat down.

"Yes, I suppose. You, too?"

"Yeah. I'm guessing you have nightmares as well?"

Juvia jolted. "How did you-" She paused. "'As well'?"

Natsu shrugged almost uncaringly. "Been having 'em for a while, now. Doesn't matter, though. I don't get them as frequently as I used to."

Juvia felt a bit queasy. Her image of Natsu had been that of a well cared for, pampered Prince who had everything he wanted. Her opinion changed after meeting him, but it didn't shake away her belief that he knew nothing about the outside world.

But it seemed that Natsu had his own demons, too.

"I do," Juvia admitted. "They haven't been as frequent lately, though." More like, ever since the night Gray helped her with her panic attack-it seemed like a hundred years ago-they had never come back, as if he'd cast some kind of protective charm over her.

 _Don't be a sentimental idiot,_ she scolded herself.

He meant nothing to her. Absolutely nothing.

"You should make up with Gray."

Juvia looked up at Natsu, eyes widening in panic. "Gray told you?"

"No," Natsu shook his head and Juvia sighed in relief. "I could just tell," the dragon slayer continued. "Gray was all moody and brooding. He cares about you a lot, you know."

Juvia flushed darkly as Gray's previous words came back to her.

" _Because I just can't lose you, okay?!"_

"That isn't-" Juvia stuttered. "That just can't be possible."

Natsu looked puzzled. "Why not?"

"It just _can't_!"

All her life, Juvia was used to not having people care about her. It was natural, and a given. But then, Gray Fullbuster decided to waltz his way into her life and treat her with care-as if she were an actual person.

And it _hurt_. It hurt because she knew they were technically enemies and sooner or later, she'd have to fulfill her mission…thereby betraying him.

Just typical, wasn't it?

The one person who actually cared about her was her enemy.

And to Juvia's horror, she was beginning to care for him, too.

 **(A/N): Thank you all for your sweet, lovely reviews! We managed to up the review count to 88! Let's try to get it to 100 by the next chapter! Work with me, everyone~**

 **So now we have Gruvia angst, NaVia brotp, cute Natsu trying to act as a wingman on both sides, END and so on. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! There'll be Gruvia fluff in the next chapter and NaVia/Gratsu brotp as well as some cute Lucy/Levy brotp. Look forward to it!**

 _ **Next Time: Duel**_


	24. Duel

**Chapter-22**

 **Duel**

"Are you sure about this, Lu-chan?"

Lucy fixed her friend with an exasperated smile. " _Yes,_ Levy-chan. I'm perfectly sure."

It was after midnight, and both girls should have been in bed, fast asleep. Instead, they were huddled in Lucy's room, talking in hushed voices.

"The Oracion Seis were spotted to the North of Hargeon today," Lucy twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "It's our chance. If we head out tomorrow, we can capture them," She reasoned.

Levy huffed. "I get that. But can't you sit this one out, Lu-chan? You just recovered and I don't want you taking any risks. Wendy doesn't approve either, just so you know."

"Did you call her on lacrima?"

"Yeah. She said she'll do her best to get away from the castle so she can come with us."

"That's good," Lucy said in relief. "Is Gajeel coming, too?"

"He is," Levy's cheeks tinged pink. "At first, he wasn't going to, but since you're coming along we'll need as much man power as possible."

Lucy pouted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you're a magnet for danger. Oh, and Lu-chan-no using Urano Metria. I forbid it."

"But-"

"I'm serious, Lu-chan. I don't want you using that spell until you've mastered it."

"Who are you, my mother?"

"I might as well be," Levy retorted. "You've got no sense of self preservation at all!"

"Oh, alright," Lucy grumbled. "But I _will_ use Star Dress."

"Jellal taught you that recently, right? I'm fine with it, as long as you don't endanger yourself."

"I won't, Levy-chan. Promise."

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Juvia applied the last of the makeup to conceal the purplish-black bags under her eyes and stepped back from the mirror, tucking the cosmetics away. It wasn't so much that she cared about her appearance but more of a desire for no one to see them because she just knew they'd be concerned.

She slammed down her palms on the dressing table and let out a frustrated groan. She was just so _tired_. Exhausted, in fact. At this point, all Juvia wanted to do was fall into bed and for once, have a nice, nightmare-free sleep.

But of course, that was just too much to ask for.

Juvia swept out of the room and banged the door with probably more force than necessary. Passing servants in the hall looked at her in alarm but she ignored the stares and whispers, striding down the corridor while keeping an eye out for Natsu or Gray.

That's when she heard Wendy's voice, loud and urgent.

Wendy was pacing up and down in her room as she spoke into a communication lacrima, the door left wide open.

"-yes, I know, but I can't make it. I'm so sorry, Levy-san," A pause. "Natsu kind of sprung it on me and wouldn't take no for an answer. I'll try to talk to him, now that he knows-" Wendy cut off abruptly when she saw Juvia standing in the doorway. "I'll call you back later, Levy-san." There was click as she ended the call.

Turning around, Wendy fixed Juvia with a painfully fake smile. "Is there something you needed, Juvia-san?"

"I heard a loud voice, so I came to investigate," Juvia replied warily. Wendy looked uncomfortable at her observation, so she decided not to push it. "Do you know where the Prince and-" she swallowed. "-and Gray-sama are?"

"I think they went down to the sparring grounds," Wendy tucked the lacrima away. "Let's go."

"Oh, um," Juvia panicked a little. Natsu had been the one she wanted to talk to, but she had asked after Gray for good measure, to ensure that Wendy wouldn't harbor any suspicions. She most definitely did _not_ want to see Gray, but she couldn't exactly explain that to Wendy.

"Is something wrong, Juvia-san?"

Juvia exhaled, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Nothing," She said wearily. "Lead the way."

She _really_ needed a nap.

Wendy looked a little puzzled at her reluctance but shrugged and started walking. Juvia followed, wringing her hands that were beginning to shake with her growing anxiety.

When they reached the sparring grounds, Gray and Natsu were already dueling. Juvia's mouth fell open. She had never seen Natsu in action before and he surpassed all of her expectations. His entire body was on fire as he struck out against Gray, making him look like a dragon. He didn't seem to have a particular style of fighting, simply using swift and brutal strikes.

Gray on the other hand, moved with certain grace and finesse, a sharp contrast to Natsu. Juvia noted with no little embarrassment that he was without a shirt yet again.

The power balance between Natsu and Gray was perfectly equal. Both of them gave as good as they got and neither seemed to be losing.

Wendy sighed. "This could go on forever."

Juvia glanced down at her. "Do you ever spar with them?"

"It's no use. They always go easy on me."

Juvia bit back a smile. It sounded like them. Gray had gone easy on her too, when they had sparred. She had held back as well, not wanting to…..accidentally kill him, or something.

So _maybe_ she had been too harsh with Gray. He didn't deserve it, she knew. He had only been trying to help and she'd thrown it in his face.

Juvia couldn't exactly explain why she had tried to kill herself, though and an explanation was what he wanted.

Still, she owed him an apology at the very least, if nothing else. Juvia vowed to do it soon…..if she could get up the courage for it first.

Really, the thing that scared her most wasn't that he might be angry at her. Juvia _knew_ anger. She knew how to deal with it and how to take it. What really terrified her was that she was beginning to care for him.

And she knew he saw her the same way, as a friend; if not more. He had comforted her, supported her and simply been there for her, even in the short time they knew each other.

So what would happen after Juvia betrayed them? Gray would never forgive her, she knew. How could he? And it was more than likely that they would fight and even more still that she would have to kill him.

The very thought of it made her feel sick.

And then there was the kiss that they had shared. Juvia had tried to convince herself that it had simply happened in the heat of the moment, that it was just a _thank you for believing in me_ kiss but she knew better. Beneath the passion, the heat and the pleasure she had tasted raw emotion. Something that spoke of tenderness, affection, and even-

She couldn't even allow herself to think it.

 _Getting this close to him-to them had been a bad idea. What were you thinking, Juvia?_

Simple. She hadn't thought at all, she just acted.

"It's tie!" Wendy's voice brought her out of her thoughts. Juvia focused on the sparring grounds again, glad for the distraction from her musings.

She _really_ had to stop thinking about him.

Both men walked over to them. Natsu was grinning brightly, obviously in a fantastic mood while Gray's expression was exactly the opposite.

He caught her eye and she abruptly looked away, still unable to face him.

 _Coward,_ her subconscious taunted.

"Hey, Wendy." Natsu ruffled the younger girl's hair, smiled up at Juvia and glanced over his shoulder at Gray.

Juvia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _Subtle, Natsu-san._

He moved closer to her. "I'm guessing you two haven't talked yet?"

"It's early in the morning," Juvia said snippily. "I'll talk to him later."

"I've got a better idea," Natsu said jovially and raised his voice so the other two could hear him. "I've heard you're pretty good at magic, Juvia. Why not put your skills to the test?"

"What, with you?" Juvia was pretty sure she knew the answer without asking it.

"No, with Gray."

Juvia's eyes sought him out again. He looked at her directly, raising a brow in challenge.

"Fine by me."

" _Natsu-san_ ," Juvia hissed. "I'm not so sure-"

"We don't have all day, milady," Gray drawled. "Are you coming or are you backing down?"

Juvia's blood boiled at the barely veiled taunt in his voice and clenched her hands into fists.

"Fine," She retorted and strode towards him. "Mind putting on a shirt first?"

"Why?" He shot back. "Afraid you'll get distracted?"

"Gray!" Wendy gasped in scandalized astonishment. His gaze snapped to her and Natsu and then blinked as if he'd forgotten that they were there.

"Right," Gray coughed and picked up his shirt. He shrugged it on, not bothering to button up and gave Juvia a mocking bow.

"Ladies first."

Juvia calmly unclipped her cloak and let it flutter to the ground, determined not to give him any reason to think his cocky little comments were getting to her.

He wanted a fight? She'd goddamn give him one.

"As you wish."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Wendy was feeling extremely confused.

Throughout the time Juvia had been in the castle, Wendy had observed a good friendship between her and Gray. But now, they seemed almost hostile in their behavior towards each other. Gray's words were short and sarcastic while Juvia seemed to have risen to the challenge, her eyes flashing with barely concealed anger and she stepped forward.

And Gray had _blatantly_ flirted with her. In front of Natsu, who seemed to be enjoying all of this. And Juvia hadn't even batted an eye-as if I was _normal_!

Just what on Earthland was going on between those two?

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Natsu was having the time of his life.

Watching Gray and Juvia dance around each other had been amusing enough, but this was something else entirely. The tension crackling in the air as they circled each other was palpable and evident to anyone watching.

Natsu snorted slightly. Those two were _so_ obvious.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Water Slicer!"

Gray jumped to side, just barely evading the attack. He placed his fist in his palm.

"Ice-make: Lance!"

The spears of ice went right through Juvia's Water Body, as expected. From the sidelines, Natsu and Wendy gasped.

Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Gray waved his hand, instantly trapping her in an ice cage.

"What's wrong?" he smirked. "I thought you could handle it?"

"You're the one who couldn't handle it," Juvia retorted before using her Water Cane to destroy it. She flicked her wrist and Gray was instantly pushed back by a wave of boiling water.

Gray hissed at the heat and tried to freeze the wave, only to fail.

Juvia chuckled and suddenly, the water turned ice cold and rushed over him with an alarming intensity. He grunted as the force of the water flung him into the ground.

Picking himself back up, Gray went on the offensive once more. "Ice Make: Ice Geyser!"

"Water Lock!" As Juvia focused on trapping the block in her spell, Gray called out another attack.

"Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!"

As even larger lances of ice descended upon Juvia, her eyes widened in panic and she abandoned her previous move and circled herself in Water Lock, leaving the icicles to glance off harmlessly.

"That the best you've got?" She panted, letting down the spell.

"Not by a long shot."

"Good." Juvia decided to let go of any manner of holding back and thrust out her hands. "Water Nebula!"

Two huge columns of water emerged from a magic circle, fused together and headed for Gray.

Gray retaliated instantly, freezing the water and sending it towards her. Juvia blasted the ice with her magic and it exploded into a thousand pieces.

They circled each other, observing every move. Gray broke the cycle first.

"Ice Make: Ice Impact!"

A large hammer of ice appeared in his hands. Gray slammed it into the ground. Juvia let out a sharp cry at the impact as her legs flew out from beneath her and she landed on the ground in a heap.

Gray was above her in a minute, an ice sword in hand. Juvia glared up at him. She was _not_ going to lose like this. Magic hummed in her veins, the air between them thickened with tension. This was nothing like their last fight. He was serious.

Her heart hammered against her chest, either from the rush and thrill of the fight or from his proximity.

Juvia refused to believe that it was the latter.

She jumped back to her feet and thrust out her hand. "Water Slicer!"

Her aim was off and only one blade of water made contact, grazing his cheek, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

Juvia's eyes widened slightly, and suddenly, she felt like her feet were fused to the ground, unable to move.

… _.she was twelve and Master Jose had just killed someone in front of her. She was sobbing, her teeth digging into her lower lip hard enough to draw blood_

" _-there. That's how it should be done, Juvia."_

… _..she was fourteen and she had just killed for the first time. She was unable to quell her tears and choked sobs, despite her guildmates praising and cheering her on._

… _..she was eighteen and she felt numb and simply tired, watching her latest target collapse at her feet, lifeless._

 _She felt like a monster._

Juvia lost her focus only for a few seconds, but it was enough. In a flash, Gray was at her side, holding his blade lightly to her throat.

"Looks like you let your guard down, Lady Juvia."

His mocking words were what dragged her out of her trance. Juvia drew in a shaky breath and pulled away.

"It seems I have," Juvia said lightly. "Your win then, Gray-sama."

He blinked, looking startled at her graceful admission. Then his eyes narrowed as he searched her face.

"Everything alright?"

Juvia struggled to keep her face neutral.

How did he manage to read her so well?

"Of course," She lied. Gray clearly didn't believe her and was about to press some more when Natsu and Wendy came running to them.

"That was amazing!" Wendy gushed. Natsu nodded enthusiastically.

"How on Earthland did you learn to fight like that?"

"Lots of practice." Another lie, but she was sure they wouldn't care to learn of how she assassinated people at the bidding of Master Jose. Perish the thought.

"Well, you were brilliant," Natsu said brightly. Juvia was about to thank him when Gray started to walk away.

She hesitated, still at war at herself over whether or not to do this. Natsu, seeming to read her mind, gave her an encouraging nod.

Courage bolstered, Juvia whirled around, ran after Gray and caught him by the hand. "Gray, wait."

Maybe it was her grabbing him, or her use of his name without the honofric, but Gray stopped and looked at her.

"I'm sorry," Juvia said quickly. "I shouldn't have been so harsh earlier. You were only trying to help, I see that now. I'm just-" She chuckled bitterly. "I'm not used to opening up to people."

"It's alright," Gray said. "I shouldn't have pushed you like that, either. I was just worried. Sorry."

Juvia's cheeks warmed at the sincerity in his tone. She hadn't realized before their spar, just how much the thought of hurting him sickened and pained her. She really _did_ care for him.

The question was, how much? How far was she willing to go? Could she give up her mission…..for the sake of-whatever this was?

"Thank you," Juvia said quietly. Gray tilted his head to one side.

"For what."

Juvia shrugged. "For caring."

The smile he gave her in return made her feel positively _giddy_.

 _Oh no,_ she thought dazedly. _I'm in so much trouble._

"Anytime, Juvia."

 _Damnit!_


End file.
